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Jersey abuse case review rejected | |
(about 6 hours later) | |
A bid to secure a judicial review into the Jersey child abuse inquiry has been rejected at London's High Court. | |
It was brought by Jersey senator Stuart Syvret and UK Lib Dem MP John Hemming, who say the law has been subverted by a "cover-up and political interference". | |
But Lord Justice Richards, sitting with Mr Justice Tugendhat, said the attempt should be made through Jersey's courts. | |
Detectives are investigating claims of child abuse in the island dating from the early 1960s to 1986. | Detectives are investigating claims of child abuse in the island dating from the early 1960s to 1986. |
Three people have been charged in connection with their inquiries. | Three people have been charged in connection with their inquiries. |
The judge said he would leave open the question what to do once proceedings had come through the Jersey's courts - including the island's court of appeal. | |
'Rule of law' | |
Justice For Families Ltd, of which Senator Syvret is a director and Mr Hemming the chairman, wanted independent judges and prosecutors brought in to administer any future legal action. | |
They claimed Jersey may not meet the necessary standards of objectivity and impartiality, and that Justice Secretary Jack Straw and others "failed to enforce the rule of law" in Jersey. | |
They argued that the UK Ministry of Justice has a "duty to maintain the rule of law in crown dependencies", of which Jersey is one. | |
Mr Hemming, MP for Birmingham Yardley, said abuse cases need to be "dealt with properly, with transparency". | |
Minister of State, Michael Wills MP, was named alongside Mr Straw as a defendant in the application. | |
They opposed it on the grounds that it was "misconceived, unarguable and premature". | |
When the application was lodged in October, Jersey's Attorney General, William Bailhache, said: "The courts of Jersey have been delivering justice week in, week out, for centuries. | When the application was lodged in October, Jersey's Attorney General, William Bailhache, said: "The courts of Jersey have been delivering justice week in, week out, for centuries. |
"Justice will be done." | "Justice will be done." |
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