POLICE investigating the remains of a child found at a former children's home on the Channel Island of Jersey are in Australia following up possible links to the case.
An extensive search has begun at Haut de la Garenne after the remains of a child were discovered buried under a concrete floor by a specialist sniffer dog at the weekend. The search is part of an ongoing investigation into claims of child abuse at the home stretching back more than four decades. A Jersey Police spokeswoman said officers flew to Australia earlier this month as part of their inquiries. It was unknown where the officers had gone to or how many people they were intending to speak to.
"Two officers are over there at the moment speaking to people," the spokeswoman said.
Jersey Police launched an inquiry into the home in 2006 after discovering some former employees were under investigation for child abuse.
More than 140 potential victims or witnesses have come forward with allegations about their disturbing experiences at the home, with three claiming children they knew had disappeared while at the home. Detectives believe some of the victims now live in Australia and Europe.
Police overnight continued their search at Haut de la Garenne, which has operated as a youth hostel in recent years, amid fears more children's bodies could be found. A sniffer dog specially trained to locate human remains had identified a number of hotspots, including a bricked-up cellar. Jersey's deputy chief police officer Lenny Harper described the search as "a very slow methodical process".
"We have had some positive indications from the dog but there could be a number of explanations," he said. "At this stage we just don't know if there are more bodies."
Mr Harper said police were also investigating claims that allegations of abuse by children were not properly followed up in the past. "Part of the inquiry will be the fact that a lot of the victims tried to report their assaults but for some reason or another they were not dealt with as they should be," he said.
"We are looking at allegations that a number of agencies didn't deal with things as perhaps they should, we are looking at all the agencies. "We've no evidence of a cover-up by any Jersey government." The search is expected to last for another two weeks.
The remains found at the weekend are believed to have been at the site for more than five years. They have been sent to the British mainland for further examination.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23277230-12377,00.html
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