Chief Minister Terry Le Sueur and the Bailiff, Michael Birt, at Thursday night's mass

THE States are prepared to pay for the bodies of the Victoria Crescent stabbing victims to be flown back to Poland, Chief Minister Terry Le Sueur has confirmed.

He said that the bill for repatriating the bodies – which could be up to £60,000 – could be met from a contingency fund.

It is not clear how many of the bodies will be flown back to Poland for burial, but Senator Le Sueur said that if the family could not handle the expense the States would step in.

His comments came after Senator Terry Le Main raised the issue in an email to all States Members, asking the Council of Ministers to step in as ‘an act of charity’.

There has been some confusion about fundraising appeals to support the families of the deceased, but at last night’s church service the Roman Catholic Dean of Jersey, Monsignor Nicholas France, said that the main appeal to cover funeral costs should be the one run by the Parish of St Helier.

Full story in Friday’s JEP