DEPUTY police chief Lenny Harper has

defended his handling of the Haut de la Garenne investigation in front of the world’s media.

Newspaper and television journalists rushed to the Island once again yesterday following a police statement that they had arrested a 68-year-old man in connection with the historical child abuse inquiry.

Speaking at a press conference at Police Headquarters yesterday afternoon, which the national journalists had called for, Mr Harper was asked what he thought of questions being posed in the States about his ‘OTT relationship with the media’.

Mr Harper said that he understood that those questions by Deputy Sean Power were in light of the fact that the child’s skull fragment discovered at Haut de la Garenne was found to have been placed there no later than the 1940s.

Mr Harper said that if Deputy Power believed his comments in relation to the skull fragment were inappropriate, he was at a loss to know what the Deputy meant.

He added that he believed that it was due to the open and transparent policy with the media which had led to victims being encouraged to come forward.