It's Jersey, England...which is a small island lying outside the mainland...not the state New Jersey... and here's some more information ...

How and when did this investigation begin?

It started in 2004 when a former resident of Haut de la Garenne was convicted of attempting to blackmail his former care worker with allegations that he was a paedophile. By autumn last year police believed that they had uncovered enough evidence to mount an “historic sexual abuse inquiry” in the Haut de la Garenne, a sea cadets' group that used the building and Greenfields, another children's home. The investigation focuses on dates between the 1960s and 1986, when Haut de la Garenne was closed.


How many people have been arrested?

Gordon Wateridge, 76, a former warden at Haut de la Garenne, is the only person to be charged so far. He is accused of indecently assaulting three girls under the age of 16 between 1969 and 1973. Police are preparing files against a number of other suspects for the island's Law Officers, the equivalent of the Crown Prosecution Service.

What have the police discovered so far?

Dozens of witnesses have given detailed accounts of abuse they are alleged to have suffered at the home. Police have also found a piece of a child’s skull buried beneath the floor of the home, although the age of the samples has not yet been confirmed. Other pieces of bone were discovered today and have been sent for analysis.

What happens next?

Painstaking searches at Haut de la Garenne will continue for at least four weeks, focused on the areas where sniffer dogs indicated the presence of possible human remains. Detectives will also have to take detailed statements from all alleged victims and witnesses before they can arrest the suspects. The investigation is expected to take at least a further 12 months.



BTW: I'd like to say that this shocks me to my innnermost core...but, systematic abuse, a climate of violence and a culture of secrecy has existed in children's homes and foster care for decades.

Childrenin care get need to have their voices heard What we need is trusted advocates for every child in either a children's home or in foster care. Individually, children need access to independent advocates who can help them speak out and, collectively, they need a powerful voice to speak up for them.

Coming from a child who suffered physical and emotional abouse for years, every child must be able to speak to someone they can trust who can help them take control of their situations that stop the sbuse they suffer from.

For too long children have screamed out for help and have not been listened to... often with fatal and nightmare-ish consequences.