Alan Collins - English lawyer in Jersey - latest update

Part One Interview with Alan Collins (above) 22 August 2013 in Jersey - about 11 minutes

Part Two (above) about 14 minutes.

Alan Collins is the English Solicitor - Advocate from PANNONE LLP who has been engaged to represent 59 of the local litigants in the Compensation scheme of the States of Jersey (which he helped to set up) arising from the Hauth de la Garenne Childrens Home failures over many decades.

His involvement in the legal representation of child abuse victims is extensive.

It is especially interesting and significant that he is representing so many of the Jersey victims in this Island which claims its own unique jurisdiction and he plans to represent the 59 litigants before the States Inquiry that has been set up to examine the whole history of this tragic debacle.

He is to be paid for the Compensation scheme work out of Jersey public funds at an agreed rate but has so far receieved nothing. He expects to be paid for his Inquiry work in a similar way.
His role as an English lawyer acting in Jersey and being paid out of public funds amounts to "legal aid" whereas the "official" legal aid system that operates in Jersey is an antiquated mess and not fit for purpose. It is currently being examined.

Messrs Mourant Ozanne have been appointed to represent the States of Jersey in the Compensation scheme and Alan here explains how the system works.

Due to the illness of the appointed Chair for the Offiial Inquiry there will be yet more delay but Aland explains that he will be representing the abuse victims individually and as a group when it finally gets going under a newly appointed Chair.

Previous interviews with Alan can be found on this blog at 25 August and 15 December 2012 and we hope to continue to monitor progress with Alan but what a pity that Jersey lawyers and States' officials are not so willing to answer questions or to be interviewed.

As always, sensible comments are welcome and we extend an invite to any Lawyers or officials to record a response to Alan's interviews.

Unfortunately the IT gremlins are still making it difficult to set up these postings and several typos defy correction. This is the second attempt to post the whole things and it all takes time....

Alan Collins, Jimmy Savile and Jersey child-abuse continued...

We posted a previous interview with Alan Collins, the English solicitor-advocate from PANNONE LLP on 25 August 2012.

He has continued with his representation of more than 50 clients arising from the Jersey Haut de la Garenne care home failures and related cases but the huge Jimmy Savile scandal has since been opened up and Alan is now the lawyer for two Jersey complainants.

Here he explains his current role regarding all these cases among many other related matters.
He repeats also his previous offer to share his knowledge gained over many years of dealing with child abuse cases with the Jersey government...

The current video plays for about 15 minutes.

ALAN COLLINS English lawyer for Jersey Child Abuse survivors 2012

Alan Collins is a solicitor-advocate with English lawyers PANNONE who specialises in child abuse cases. He started his career as a criminal lawyer but by chance now deals almost exclusively and internationally with cases such as that centred on the Haut de la Garenne children’s home in Jersey (Channel Islands)

“Child abuse knows no boundaries” says Alan but it is very significant that he – an English lawyer – should be pursuing these Jersey cases whilst the 250 or so lawyers from this little Island seem to have been so reluctant to help the many survivors.

The Jersey compensation scheme now being implemented accepts abuse cases from 1945 onwards (the end of the Second World-War). Alan is now dealing with 50 cases plus there are several lawyers engaged from different UK legal practices in further cases.

This surely demonstrates just how substantial the Jersey failure has been and how deep-seated is the neglect by the Jersey legal and judicial system in response.

A look at “Alan Collins Pannone” or via www.pannone.com will find his website giving details of many similar cases in the UK and elsewhere.

So Jersey is not unique in this regard but Alan highlights (in this interview) his concerns about the long promised Jersey Inquiry which already seems to be denying participation to those most affected – the survivors.

If there is abuse taking place today in Jersey care homes, hospitals, schools or the prison, who would respond to it or report it?

The instances of institutional abuse – sexual and physical – regularly reported in the UK press are just the tip of the iceberg.

It is unrealistic to suppose that such abuse does not still take place here and now in this Island.

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INFORMATION SOUGHT

Anybody reading this with knowledge or experience of abuse in Jersey in the distant or more recent past - that has not been fully investigated – whether in hospitals, prison, schools or care homes etc., is invited to make contact with tom gruchy on this blog through the “comment” facility.

Any information will not be published and is confidential.

OR email

mikedun@jerseymail.co.uk   This is sought for research purposes by this blogsite.

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