Jersey secure home residents call for compensation

Lawyer Alan Collins said victims could take legal action if compensation is not offered

Victims of abuse at a former secure home for children are calling for compensation from the government.

The Independent Jersey Care Inquiry found the regime at the Les Chenes School was "harsh and inappropriate".

Lawyer Alan Collins, who represents more than 50 survivors of the care system, says they could take legal action against the States of Jersey if they do not agree.

A Council of Ministers spokesman said it would consider the issue.

The spokesman said the former council, prior to the election in May, had been made aware of the compensation request and the new government will consult with lawyers before making a decision.

A former resident of Les Chenes, who asked to remain anonymous, said he was regularly put in solitary confinement.

It was a claim made by other former residents during the inquiry.

He said: "I didn't commit any serious crimes, it was just more the way they done things back then.

"You go to Les Chenes and as soon as you enter Les Chenes you are straight in solitary confinement which can be anything from 48 hours to three or four weeks. I was in there for six weeks."

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The £23m Independent Jersey Care Inquiry investigated decades of abuse in Jersey's care system and last year found children were still at risk.

Mr Collins says the States should help the former residents move on with their lives.

He said: "In my opinion they should all seek compensation and they should all be awarded compensation because of the illegality of what happened to them when they were placed in Les Chenes."

Les Chenes was a former residential school and remand centre, operating until 2003.