JERSEY STATE MEDIA EXPOSED BY BLOGGERS
HOW DID DAVID ROSE GET INVOLVED WITH THE HISTORICAL CHILD ABUSE INVESTIGATION (HCAE)
HOW DID D/SUPERINTENDENT MICK GRADWELL SENIOR INVESTIGATING OFFICER OF THE JERSEY HISTORIC CHILD ABUSE INVESTIGATION BECOME INVOLVED WITH HIM?
REMEMBER THE JERSEY STATE MEDIA DIDN'T RUN WITH THIS
THE SENIOR INVESTIGATING OFFICER OF JERSEY'S "HCAE" MICK GRADWELL WAS LEAKING TO THE UK JOURNALIST WHO WAS TRASHING THE INVESTIGATION - OUR MEDIA DON'T TOUCH IT -WHY?
SIMPLE - THEY WERE IN ON IT - THAT WILL BE THE NEXT POSTING
Then I read the transcripts from Home Affairs Minister Senator Le Marquand dated Friday 15th July 2011 that in October 2009 he was fully aware that Mick Gradwell had been leaking information - due to some excellent detective work from his staff.
WHAT DID HE DO ABOUT THAT? THE "HCAE" WAS STILL LIVE.
HE WAS DEALING WITH THE SUSPENSION OF GRAHAM POWER THAT D/SUPT GRADWELL HAD PLAYED A PART IN.
THIS IS GOING WAY BEYOND A JOKE; More on this in a later posting.
The Minister for Home Affairs:
No. The first I was aware of an issue in relation to D/Supt Mick Gradwell was when he went public just before he left the Island and that was the first time. I viewed this as merely a continuation of that, he had already gone public with his views to the local press, radio. It is my understanding from David Warcup that Mick Gradwell, although he was asked very strongly not to do anything before he went, and not just by David Warcup, but I understand even by the Attorney General of the day, again this is hearsay, this is obviously what I have been told, that he had already pre-recorded interviews before he had left. So that is the first that I was aware of an issue, and then of course my staff picked up the Mail article and they did some excellent detective work, emailing, and then sent to me the consequences of that, which clearly pointed to Mick Gradwell. I have to say, when the issue came up again, I had completely forgotten about this, I had just totally forgotten about it. I had to look back and find the emails and then say: “Oh yes, now I do recall it”, because it was not that significant to me once I knew it was Mick Gradwell.
What I produce in this post is based on evidence
David Rose wrote 3 articles for the Daily Mail which were trashing the "HCAE"
The introduction of David Rose was in my opinion very calculated. The Jersey Establishment needed someone to start trashing the Historic Child Abuse Investigation in the national press.
The reason for looking is very simple. There is a connection between Rose, Gradwell and The Jersey State Media. The agenda from the offset was to opinion manage peoples perception of the "HCAE".
This for me dates back to May 9th 2008 with the then Bailiff Sir Philip Bailhace's Liberation day speech.
I talk a little about the culture of fear that exists in Jersey. The below link and interview is well worth a watch.
http://voiceforchildren.blogspot.com/2010/11/culture-of-fear.html
But let us look at former SIO Mick Gradwell.
It is this Policeman's actions that are at the heart of everything. Why did Mick Gradwell get involved with David Rose? David Rose had already set out his agenda in May 2008. This was 4 months before Mick Gradwell had started his secondment to the SOJP. Looking back through the archives Mick Gradwell trashes the investigation under Lenny Harper and his team at any given opportunity. He was there with Deputy Chief Officer David Warcup when they gave there infamous briefing to ministers on the day before the suspension of the then Chief Police Officer Graham Power QPM.
What I will be doing now is looking at the evidence that was supplied to the Scrutiny Sub Panel. This review is so important. It will come into play during the forthcoming 'COI'. One of the questions that needs answering is the actions of Mick Gradwell.
During my lnvestigations I came across an article written by David Rose on the 4th October 2009 in which the said journalist was quoting extracts from Police Consultant Mike Kelletts draft notes - confidential notes that had been given to a select few. The final BDO report didn't come out until May 2010. I started asking questions and what unfolded left me shocked. The article can be read on the link above.
I ask the readers to really look at what BDO & Police Consultant Mike Kellett say about the leaking of their information. This is of the most serious nature. This information was given under oath. BDO even question the leaking of information to David Rose back in November 2008. They even asked what what was done about that leak.
This is what BDO Alto said concerning the leaking by Mick Gradwell
PART C: THE “LEAK” TO A MAIL ON SUNDAY JOURNALIST
33. The Sub Panel has raised a concern that, “[BDO’s] letter of engagement was dated 29th September 2011 [sic]; however, just a few days later an ‘interim report by financial auditors’ was leaked to the Mail on Sunday (4th October 2009). It appears that a Senior Police Officer was responsible for this leak.”
35. We have raised our concerns with both the Panel and the Chairmen’s Committee regarding the fact that this Scrutiny Review’s terms of reference appears to be based on, or was at least heavily influenced by, the content of one particular blog site, which contains much speculation and is not in possession of full facts.
Background to the Mail on Sunday press coverage
41. The “leak” referred to by the Sub Panel relates to an article published in The Mail On Sunday and on the Mail Online website on 4 October 2009, authored by a journalist called Mr David Rose. The title of the article was “Bungled Jersey child abuse probe branded a ‘£20 million shambles’”19.
42. The article includes reference to “a leaked report by financial auditors into the investigation”. However, far from simply being an article written about financial aspects of the investigation, the article reveals the findings of a three-month investigation carried out by The Mail on Sunday. This article quotes from Mr Mick Gradwell, the Senior Investigating Officer who replaced Mr Harper following his retirement, Acting Chief Officer David Warcup, Mr Martin Grime, the NPIA’s Chief Executive, a former Metropolitan Police Commander (through a spokeswoman)
as well as an unnamed “Jersey government spokeswoman”20.
43. In fact, Mr Rose had been covering the investigation for some time and his use of “leaked” documents in the 4 October 2009 article was not the first time.
44. An earlier article dated 15 November 2008 was titled “How police chief Lenny Harper lost the plot over the Jersey children’s home ‘murders’”21. In that article, Mr Rose notes “… The Mail on Sunday has obtained confidential documents, including a crucial email written by Mr Harper and the official log book kept by his own forensic science team. They show he repeatedly misled both the media and the island’s government, and made a series of statements that proved to be
inaccurate.” [our emphasis]
45. This November 2008 article also quoted from numerous individuals involved in the investigation including Mr Harper, SIO Gradwell, Mr Frank Walker, a named professor from the Sheffield University Centre for Human Identification and an LGC spokeswoman. We are not aware as to whether the “leak” of material referred to in Mr Rose’s article of November 2008 has been investigated. Even in that article details of financial expenditure were being discussed; the article refers to “… the police are also said to be concerned at the inquiry’s profligate
expenditure – such as a decision to send two officers First Class to Australia, and
a £100,000 bill for the use of Eddie the sniffer dog.”
46. And in fact, as early as 24 May 2008, Mr Rose was discussing the costs of the investigation at Haut De La Garenne. In his article titled “Jersey police failed to reveal that tested ‘skull’ was coconut”22 he reported, “Last night it was revealed his [Mr Harper’s] investigation at Haut de la Garenne is set to cost £6.5 million this year – about £20,000 per day since the inquiry began on February 23.”
47. This is important context because the terms of reference for this Scrutiny Review might otherwise imply that there was no financial or other confidential information in the public domain, whether “leaked” or released, and therefore that the article in The Mail on Sunday on 4 October 2009 came ‘out of the blue’. That is clearly not the case and much had already been reported.
Material “leaked” to the Mail on Sunday journalist
48. BDO and Mr Kellett discussed the David Rose article of 4 October 2009 the very next day, on Monday 5 October. Both BDO and Mr Kellett were concerned and upset that confidentiality had been compromised.
49. The nature of the leaked material was immediately clear. It was not and could not have been an ‘interim report by financial auditors’ that had been leaked to The Mail on Sunday because no draft report was in open circulation by that date.
50. The email trails that follow provide a full contemporaneous record of discussions and correspondence that took place on 5, 6 and 7 October 2009.
51. The Home Affairs Department wrote to BDO as follows23:
“I was concerned to read an article about the HCAE in the Mail on Sunday yesterday that stated that the newspaper has had sight of 'a leaked report by financial auditors', the report is later referred to as 'the team's interim report'. The article does not mention BDO but quotes David Warcup as telling the Mail on Sunday that 'he had appointed an independent team of auditors to examine Harper's spending.'
If the report referred to is indeed your report I would be grateful for an explanation of how the draft was allegedly made available to the Mail on Sunday reporter when neither the Minister for Home Affairs, the Accounting Officer or myself have yet seen a copy of your draft report.”
52. BDO responded by email on the same day, extracts from that email24:
“To confirm, the draft report has not been provided to anyone by BDO Alto, and in fact no copies have been provided to any party including Home Affairs … there
are no copies in circulation as far as we are aware. I understand that drafts of Mike Kellett's work were circulated to Mr Gradwell, amongst others including the Wiltshire team, during drafting stage - this included sections on Mr Grime, the deployment of [named officer] and meals in London. I have not yet been able to speak to Mike today, however I know that he circulated
copies of his work on a confidential basis and was also minded that confidentiality was to be maintained at all times, and that the Report output needed to be on a 'privileged' basis. It does seem more likely to be the case that it is initial drafts of Mike's work that have been seen by the newspaper rather than our Report - although I have no evidence of that, and nor can we speculate as to the source …
The wording included in the newspaper appears to be taken from Mike's original drafting, as discussed above. I would again stress that the Report has not been made available to anyone by BDO, and that confidentiality is of paramount importance to us. Neither has any comment been made by us to any media, and the only discussions relating to his Report are as between ourselves, Mike Kellett and yourselves.”
53. Mr Kellett sent an email to BDO on 6 October 2009 and a copy of that email was forwarded by BDO to Home Affairs the next day25. Extracts from that email:
“I am shocked that drafts of sections of our report (and not the 'interim' report, as inaccurately stated in the article) have been leaked to the press and published in this fashion, which is unhelpful to say the least and does nothing to serve the public interest. I agree with you that the quotes cited in the Mail on Sunday appear to be from the very first drafts of my work, as at least one of them appeared only in initial draft and was excised from the document drafted to
consolidate my work and that carried out by you and [BDO employee]. Given that fact, the probable source of the leak is clear to me.
Apart from you, the initial drafts were also sent to David Warcup, to the Wiltshire team and to Mick Gradwell, for information and for feedback on accuracy of content and on style. None of these recipients received any of the updated drafts, neither those done by me to my initial work nor the consolidated drafts prepared by you …
Let us now look at what Police Consultant Mike Kellett said:
Okay, I wondered if we could move to possibly our final topic, the leak. I wondered, Managing Director, as you know, your report appeared in the ... either the report or words that were remarkably similar to your report appeared in a national newspaper. What is your explanation of this if, indeed, you do have one?
Managing Director, BDO Alto Limited:
Yes, just to clarify, and it is in our written submission, the material that was leaked to the newspaper was not a BDO work product. I cannot comment on what was leaked to the media. As again we say in our written submission, we provide you with copies of the correspondence with Home Affairs on 5th October 2009. This matter was clearly brought to our attention. We were concerned that anything that was related to our review was finding its way into the national media. As I say, it was not a BDO report. There was not an interim report at that point in time. What appears to have been leaked were, again, some of the early drafts of some of [Police Consultant]’s work. He might want to say something about that.
As a result of your subsequent inquiries and your contact with Home Affairs, did you come to a considered judgment as to how it had occurred and who had done it?
Managing Director, BDO Alto Limited:
I think, when we had an opportunity to have a look at the article that had been published on the Mail on Sunday, it became clear to us what material was being quoted from. Therefore, from our perspective, we were able to narrow down where that material had gone, but as I say it was not a BDO interim report. It was not an interim report at all, in fact.
But it was material that came from your office, so to speak.
Managing Director, BDO Alto Limited:
No, it did not come from our office.
Managing Director, BDO Alto Limited:
The circumstances of the source are as set down in my written submission. The source was [retired D/Superintendent]. He has admitted that to me in telephone conversations. He first telephoned me about a week or so after the article appeared. I had already worked out that it was probably him.
I deplore what he did. I have told him I deplore what he did. In terms of why he did it, you would have to ask him. He says - so what he told me - and he has repeated that in recent telephone conversations that he has made to me arising out of the establishment of this Panel that he did not give copies of my written work, but he disclosed the contents of some of them to a reporter. It was not BDO at all. It is not me. It was not Wiltshire or [then Acting Police Chief]. It was [retired D/Superintendent].
Out of interest, did he seek to justify what he had done to you?
He gave a reason, but I think ...
Well, we do hope to speak to him. We do not know whether he will.
I do not think it is appropriate for me to ...
Just for the record, you are saying he said he did not actually show documents to a journalist. He verbally, because you said he had not shown. That is what you have just said.
I cannot remember at this distance to say his exact words. What he says is content. Whether he handed documents or whether he had no idea, I am not sure.
If we cannot talk to [retired D/Superintendent], we will be able to fire you off a letter to ask for a bit more detail on the contents of that particular conversation.
This is from Mike Kelletts submission
PUBLICATION OF DETAILS OF THE REVIEW IN A NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
23. The first I knew of the article published in the Mail on Sunday on 4th October 2009 was the following day, when I received a telephone call from the Managing Director of BDO Alto to inform me of the fact. During my time in Jersey and since, I have had absolutely no contact, formal or informal, with any journalist.
24. For the reasons set out in the written submission of BDO Alto, it is clear that it was not an ‘interim report’ or the consolidated report that was leaked to the newspaper but rather content of the drafts of sections of my contribution to the report.
25. My practice during the review was to forward the first drafts of sections of my report to the Acting Chief Officer, to Mr Gradwell, to the Wiltshire team and to BDO Alto. Only BDO Alto were sent updated drafts, as and when amendments were subsequently made to the originals.
26. Some days after the article had appeared, I received a telephone call from Mr Gradwell in which he admitted that he had been responsible for the leak.
27. I received two further telephone calls from Mr Gradwell on 26th June 2011 and 1st July 2011, concerning the establishment of this Sub Panel and he again acknowledged that he had been responsible.
Here are the Sub Panels Findings on this issue
5. To investigate how details of the review into the financial management of Operation Rectangle came to be published in a national newspaper in October 2009
- On Sunday 4th October 2009 the Mail on Sunday published an article by their reporter David Rose referring to ‘a leaked report by financial auditors’ which had been seen by the newspaper. The article then appears to quote the then Acting Chief of Police: ‘Dave Warcup told the Mail on Sunday that he had appointed an independent team of auditors to examine Harper’s spending - it includes two forensic accountants and a police expert in seizing criminals’ assets’. This statement was factually inaccurate. Later in the article the leaked material is identified as an ‘interim report’. No mention was made in the article of BDO Alto; however, it appears clear that the article is referring to their review.
- In their submission BDO Alto give a full and contemporaneous record of discussions and correspondence between BDO Alto and Home Affairs following the publication of this article. Mr. Kellett stated in his submission:
It is clear that it was not an ‘interim report’ or the consolidated report that was leaked to the newspaper but rather content of the drafts of sections of my contribution to the report.
- Mr. Kellett explained that he had circulated copies of his work on a confidential basis to the Acting Chief Officer, to Mr. Gradwell, to the Wiltshire team and to BDO Alto for feedback and comments. In a telephone conversation after the article had appeared Mr. Gradwell admitted to Mr. Kellett that he had been responsible for the leak. Mr. Kellett said that he deplored this action.
- The States of Jersey Police submission confirmed this and described the circumstances as follows:
D/Supt M Gradwell left Jersey in August 2009 and retired from the police service on 2 September 2009. Prior to leaving and unbeknown to the States of Jersey authorities, Mr. Gradwell gave a number of press briefings which were critical of the investigation led by Mr. Harper. During the course of these briefings, it is evident that Mr. Gradwell made verbal references to extracts from the BDO Alto report on financial matters. This was wholly improper and less than helpful to the ongoing enquiry. [ ] Mr. Gradwell is on public record as accepting that he quoted information from notes later incorporated in the report, but he vehemently denies ‘leaking’ a copy of the report to the media.
- Some of the wording quoted in the Mail on Sunday article is very close to the phrases in the final report; in addition specific details of financial costs are disclosed. There seems to be little doubt from the number of specific details and phrases used by the newspaper that the reporter had extensive access to Mr. Kellett’s material whether or not the reporter was actually given a copy of the work.
- The article refers three times to comments by Mr Gradwell, the retiring Senior Investigating Officer, who had described the handling of the HDLG investigation as a ‘shambles’.
- The article refers to specific details of financial costs contained in the ‘leaked report’ including £750 per day for the first seven days’ work for the forensic dog and £650 per day for 136 days after and 49 claims on force credit cards for meals costing more than £50; more than £5,700 on Mr. Harper’s card alone.
- The article states that, in a three month investigation the reporter had spoken to a number of individuals connected with the Operation Rectangle: including the Dog Handler, the Chief Executive and the Head of Operational support of NPIA and a former Metropolitan Police Commander.
- The article also claims to make a number of direct quotes from the ‘leaked report’. These later appeared in the published BDO Alto report, albeit the wording in the published report had been somewhat amended in most cases, for example:
(a) a comment by an employee of LGC Forensics: We followed the dog. Where the dog barked was dug up.’ This says the interim report was a fundamental error’..
(b) a comment that Mr. Harper had ‘little idea’ of how to use the HOLMES computer system. The article refers to an email where Mr. Harper asks a question about the role of an analyst. This was not found in the published report which actually says: SOJP personnel lack depth of experience in using HOLMES - including senior personnel fulfilling key roles.
(c) the conclusion to the auditors’ interim report regarding use of the dog: ‘It was an expensive mistake to bring in Mr. Grime. It would have been far preferable and much cheaper to have tried to obtain appropriately trained dogs and handlers from UK police forces.’ The underlined words have been amended in the published report which reads: It was an expensive decision to employ Mr. Grime and to deploy him in the ways described in this Report. It may have been wiser and cheaper to have sought to obtain appropriately trained dogs and handlers from UK police forces.
(d) a comment on meal with a News of The World journalist: ‘We do not see how this occasion can possibly be regarded as a business dinner within the terms of the policy’. This sentence appears unamended in the BDO Alto report.
- The article makes 10 further references to specific details contained in the ‘leaked report’. The article also refers to emails from Mr. Harper to his staff (Forensics Manager) obtained by the Mail on Sunday.
- Mr. Rose had previously written a number of other articles critical of Mr. Harper’s conduct of the investigation going back to May 2008 (18.05.08; 24.05.08, 15.11.08). In May 2008 he made a reference to the ‘leaked’ cost of the investigation (£6.5milion) but did not develop any criticism. In his article in November 2008 in which he interviewed Mr. Gradwell he stated that the police were said to be concerned at the enquiry’s profligate spending (eg decision to send two officers first class to Australia and a £100,000 bill for the use of Eddie the sniffer dog). In the course of the article he stated that he had obtained confidential documents including an email from Mr. Harper and the official log book kept by the forensic science team.
- Channel Television also appeared to have access to information from the review into the financial management of the HDLG enquiry. In their two programmes in September 2009 they interviewed Mr. Gradwell on his retirement and referred to a number of specific details from the BDO Alto report such as dinners in specific London restaurants, overnight stays for one hour meetings and the failure to appoint a finance manager.
Police response to Mr. Gradwell’s action
- Mr. Warcup stated in his submission that the disclosures made by Mr. Gradwell to the media on his departure from Jersey had not been authorised or approved by himself or any other person in the SOJ Police.
They were made without my knowledge, were inappropriate and could have jeopardised the objectivity and fairness of the Wiltshire enquiry.
- He said that he had been concerned that a considerable amount of information and documents had been leaked to the media from an early stage in the HCAE investigation:
Unfortunately there were many issues right through from 2008 until 2010 where we did look to try and establish how information had been released to the media. It is a matter of some regret in many respects that it happened and I do not condone it at all….. I have to say that I think that the release of information in such circumstances is detrimental to the good conduct of the inquiry…. I think that that matter needs to be seriously considered for the future and the release of information, however well intentioned, has to be carried out under proper regulated and approved systems and not to fulfil whatever agendas people are trying to pull through.
- The Minister told the Sub-Panel that he had discussed the matter with Mr. Warcup who had revealed to him that he (Mr. Warcup) had become aware that Mr. Gradwell intended to speak to the press on his retirement from the Police force about his views on the HCAE investigation. Mr. Warcup had sought assurances from Mr. Gradwell that he would not do anything of that nature, only to discover subsequently that Mr. Gradwell had already given his press interviews.
- The Minister told the Sub-Panel that it was not possible to discipline Mr. Gradwell for the disclosures he had made because of the fact that he had been seconded from another Police force and had already left Jersey. This point is confirmed in the SOJ Police submission:
Having left Jersey and retired from the police service in England, it is not possible to take matters further outside of Jersey’s jurisdiction.
- It is accepted that the subject of the leak to the Mail on Sunday was not an interim report prepared by BDO Alto but initial drafts which Mr. Kellett had prepared and circulated to a limited group of people within the SOJ Police (Mr. Warcup and D/Superintendent Gradwell) and to BDO Alto for information and feedback on accuracy of content and style. We also fully accept that neither BDO Alto nor Mr. Kellett were in any way responsible for this leak.
- It is clear from the evidence we have received that Mr. Gradwell was responsible for leaking information from draft sections of the work which Mr. Kellett had prepared for the BDO Alto review. The information was published in an article in the Mail on Sunday in October 2009 but it also appears to have been made available to Channel Television for a programme in September 2009. Mr. Gradwell also gave an interview to the Jersey Evening Post in which he voiced extensive negative comments on the investigation carried out by his predecessor which he labelled ‘a poorly managed mess’. The disclosure of information from the review of financial management was then part of a broader criticism of the investigation by Mr. Gradwell.
- Mr. Gradwell’s views on the investigation were already well known. As Senior Investigating Officer he had been a key figure in the press conference on 12th November 2008 which had called into question the previous direction of the investigation.
- Our primary concern about the premature leaking of details of the review of financial management relates to issues of fairness in the way these leaks are reported in the media without an adequate opportunity for an alternative perspective to be considered. We give further consideration to this matter in the final section of our report.
- The evidence we have received points to Mr. Gradwell as the person responsible for leaking information from draft sections of the work which Mr. Kellett had prepared for the BDO Alto review.
- Neither BDO Alto nor Mr. Kellett were responsible for the leak of information to the Mail on Sunday.
- Mr. Gradwell’s action in releasing prematurely to the media draft sections of an uncompleted report would have been a serious disciplinary matter for the Police. However, no action could be taken against him by the SOJ Police as Mr. Gradwell had completed his secondment and left the Island.
- Mr. Gradwell’s reasons for taking such an unprofessional step are not clear to us as he refused to participate in the Scrutiny review.
Show No Fear
Do not be intimidated
Truth, Honesty & Integrity
Rico Sorda Part Time Investigative Journalist