Syvret: Why I didn’t accept expert’s help

Wednesday 19th March 2008, 12:00AM GMT.

FORMER Health Minister Stuart Syvret has defended his decision not to accept an offer of help in improving Jersey’s child protection measures made by a former head of New Scotland Yard’s paedophile unit six years ago.

Senator Syvret first failed to reply to a letter from retired Det chief insp Bob McLachlan , who now lives in Jersey, and then referred the offer to child protection officers to handle after he had received a reminder.

The Senator – who had political responsibility for child protection first as president of the old Health and Social Services Committee and later as Health Minister – said this week that he had no recollection of the first letter and that his decision not to order specific action in response to the second was made at a time when he was unaware of the ‘systemic abuse’ over which he has since campaigned.

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