Counsel to the Inquiry Patrick Sadd opened this week’s Independent Jersey Care Inquiry public hearings with an introductory statement about La Preference children’s home in St Martin.
He referenced documents dating from the establishment of the home in 1951 by Flora and Sydney Walden, through to its sale to the States in 1984 and up to its closure in 2012, in order to provide the Panel with background and context before hearing evidence from former residents over the coming weeks.
The Panel then heard evidence from Witness Mr ‘D’ who lived at La Preference from the age of three in 1954, before moving to Clos de Sable family group home in 1964 along with the rest of his siblings who had been at Haut de la Garenne. He gave evidence anonymously.
This afternoon, the Panel heard evidence in private from a former a resident of the Jersey care system.
Transcripts and supporting documents from this morning’s hearings will be available in due course.
The Public hearings resume tomorrow at 1000 with Inquiry Counsel Paul Livingston reading in to the record witness statements given to the States of Jersey Police and Redress Scheme.