Bones Found At Jersey Care Home

Bones have been found during searches at a Jersey former care home where a child's remains were found.

However, it is understood that the bones, discovered during resumed searches at the Haut de la Garenne building, belong to animals.

Excavations at the Haut de la Garenne building, now a youth hostel, were stopped on Sunday, in order to give forensic teams, who had been working up to 13 hours a day, a break.

Searches have been continuing at the site since a child's skull was found in the building on February 23.

On Monday afternoon, it was reported that more items have been removed from the home and have been taken away for examination. It has not been confirmed what the items are. On Thursday, police had revealed that they made "a couple of finds of some significance" in the room, but did not confirm what they were, saying only that they were items which witnesses had said were in the area of the home where children were allegedly abused.

It was also reported on Monday that graffiti had been found on the wall of a room, where it has been alleged that abuse took place, which said: "I've been bad for years and years".

The building, which closed as a care home in 1986, is being searched as part of an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse in Jersey, dating back to the 1960s. The Jersey Sea Cadets are also being investigated as part of the same inquiry.

Around 160 people have claimed that they were abused at the home, with allegations dating from the 1960s until the 1980s.

Over the weekend, images of the cellar area, which is currently being searched, were released. The images show the brickwork and wooden frames of the basement, as well as a bath-like structure, which police said had been mentioned in reports by alleged victims of abuse at the home.

Police have discovered a series of bricked-up underground chambers, understood to have been described by reports from alleged victims and witnesses. It is believed that four of these rooms have been discovered. Searches are still continuing in the first room to be uncovered.

On Friday, a trapdoor leading to the first room, again described by alleged victims, has also been discovered.

On Thursday, police revealed that they made "a couple of finds of some significance" in the room, but did not confirm what they were, saying only that they were items which witnesses had said were in the area of the home where children were allegedly abused.

On Wednesday, a police sniffer dog, trained to find human remains, was said to have shown an "extremely strong reaction". in the first cellar room. However, no further remains have been found.

Meanwhile, a woman who worked as a volunteer for two months at the home in 1972 has told the BBC that the children there appeared "frozen with fear".

Christine Bowker told the BBC that she had not witnessed any abuse at the home, but said staff appeared "rigid and controlled" and that the children did not appear to be shown any affection.

Last week, Lenny Harper, Jersey's Deputy Chief Police Officer, said that the investigation has been hindered by the lack of a definitive list of missing children.

Witnesses are reported to have told police stories of hearing screams in the night, followed by the failure of children to reappear the next day.

(KMcA)