Care inquiry: Drug dealers 'targeted Les Chenes school'

The former head of a secure school said he had to employ security guards with dogs to keep drug dealers away.

Kevin Mansell, former head of Les Chenes, was giving evidence to an inquiry investigating historical abuse in Jersey's care system.

He joined the school as a geography teacher in 1991 and ended up running it in 2000.

In his evidence he said the school was under-funded towards its closure in 2003.

He said: "Les Chenes was left to struggle. We did the best we could, but our budget was not adequate."

Les Chenes was a secure school for troubled teenagers and a remand centre for young offenders under the age of 15.

Mr Mansell said many children spent months on remand for offences that adults would only have been fined for.

'Breaching human rights'

He said in 2002 the school exceeded maximum occupancy with 18 spaces but 24 residents.

"I questioned why young people were sent into remand so frequently and for such long periods. I felt there was a possibility we were breaching their human rights," he said.

Mr Mansell said protests to magistrates Ian Le Marquand and Ian Christmas were ignored, as were appeals for extra funding.

He said he asked for money to build a perimeter fence so residents could use the grounds, and also to keep out drug dealers.

But he said this was rejected as being "against the philosophy of the school".

He said: "Young people could have had more freedom (in the grounds) and we wouldn't have had drug dealers climbing up to windows."

Mr Mansell said he had personally caught three drug dealers trying to access the property, a converted farm house.

The inquiry continues.