PRESS RELEASE - Haut de la Garenne

Jersey abuse case solicitor says sentence is vindication for victims.

Haut de la Garenne victims’ solicitor speaks out on the Gordon Wateridge conviction.

Alan Collins, Solicitor-Advocate of Portsmouth-based law firm, Verisona, who is acting on behalf of some of the victims in the Haut de la Garenne children’s care home case in Jersey, says that the sentence passed on Gordon Wateridge, is a vindication for them.

He explained:
“For those victims who allege they were abused, Wateridge’s conviction today is an important milestone that has been reached and passed in their fight for justice”.

Verisona Solicitors & Advocates have been instructed to pursue civil claims against the States of Jersey. The Royal Court in St. Helier heard evidence that Wateridge, a houseparent at the home from 1970-1974, had assaulted and indecently assaulted children who were in care at Haut de la Garenne.

Alan, who is acting on behalf of victims not just in the UK but also in Australia who are seeking justice for the abuse they say they suffered, added:
The trial has brought into sharp focus the allegations. The resulting conviction is vindication of our clients’ claims of abuse and leaves little, if any, doubt that the regime that was supposed to care for them, failed in the worst possible way. It is hoped that the States of Jersey will now accept it has to do right by these people and give them the redress they seek.

Alan Collins is a Solicitor-Advocate, and Director of Verisona Solicitors and Advocates. He can be contacted on 023 92492472 or 07899916899 for further comment.