A COUPLE accused of physical cruelty to children between 30 and 40 years ago will not be charged because Attorney General William Bailhache has decided that there is insufficient evidence against them.
Mr Bailhache, pictured, said that there was also a significant conflict of evidence about the way the couple treated children in their care. Some of the conflict is between one complainant and two of that person’s siblings.
A statement issued by Mr Bailhache said that three complainants in the couple’s care between 1967 and 1977 alleged that they and other children had been subjected to excessive corporal punishment. None of the allegations was in relation to Haut de la Garenne. However, some of the witnesses named as victims denied that the couple ever used any excessive force, and spoke in very positive terms about the quality of care they received.
The couple, who live in the Island, were arrested on Tuesday 24 June, when the man was 70 and the woman was 69, and questioned by the police. At the time, it was reported that the couple were released after St Helier Chef de Police Centenier Danny Scaife refused to charge them.
Article posted on 27th August, 2008 - 3.00pm
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