Latest find at ex-children's home may be more human remains

FRAGMENTS of bone, which could be human remains, have been found by officers excavating the former Jersey children's home at the centre of a major abuse investigation.

Forensic teams at Haut de la Garenne found items at the same site where part of a child's skull was discovered on 23 February. Police said a sniffer dog, trained to find human remains, gave a strong reaction to the items.

Deputy police chief Lenny Harper said: "We continued to excavate the first site at the house and have taken out a few items … they're possibly pieces of bone."

The news came after the first picture of a "punishment room" at the former home was released, revealing a haunting message. On a wooden post against the wall of a secret chamber under the building was written: "I've been bad for years and years."

Mr Harper said he did not know who had written the message or how old it was.

Officers have excavated one underground chamber at the home and believe there might be three more. The chambers have been described by victims as punishment rooms where they were physically and sexually assaulted and kept in solitary confinement.

More than 160 people claim they were abused while at Haut de la Garenne and the allegations of abuse go back about 40 years. There are 40 suspects and Mr Harper said a specialist team was at Jersey's ports in case any tried to escape.

Asked if the team was any closer to making an arrest, he said: "Suspects are one thing; we need evidence to convict people." He added that the operation had taken officers to Thailand, Germany and the British mainland.

Meanwhile, a former volunteer at the home told how she encountered children "frozen with fear" and met a "wall of silence" when she tried to raise concerns.

Christine Bowker worked at the home in the early 1970s before leaving due to concerns at the conduct of some staff.

Ms Bowker described some of the workers as "ice-cold". She said: "They had no civil contact with me whatsoever and watched me very carefully with the children. And if the children relaxed at all, or responded to my affection, they glared at the children and they glared at me, then the children just went back into their shells."

Victims claim physical and sexual abuse was "rife" at the home. The majority of it is understood to have taken place in the 1970s and 1980s, and to have involved staff regularly sexually assaulting boys and girls.

More than 70 alleged victims have come forward in the past week and an extra 12 detectives have been called in.