Man admits abuse at Jersey care home

A man pleaded guilty today to sexually abusing boys at a Jersey care home at the centre of a massive police inquiry.

Michael Aubin admitted two counts of gross indecency and two counts of indecent assault on children under 10 years old at Haut de la Garenne.

The 46-year-old cleaner, who was born in Jersey and now lives in Southampton, carried out the attacks while he was a resident at the home in the 1970s, the Press Association reported.

He earlier pleaded not guilty at the Channel Island's Royal Court to three further counts of indecent assault and they will be dealt with after Aubin is sentenced on June 22.

Aubin is the first person to be convicted following a huge police investigation into historic child abuse on the island which centred on Haut de la Garenne after scores of people came forward claiming they were sexually and physically abused there.

At least two other people have been charged in connection with the investigation.

Prosecutor Stephen Baker said they had accepted the pleas after "detailed discussions" with the police and the victims in the case.

"The views of each of the complainants has been sought," he said. "Each is in agreement with the position the Crown is to take."

Baker said Aubin had told police he too had been the victim of abuse and psychological experts believed he could have enjoyed being abused and when he was older he in turn "dominated" young children.

"It seems plain that this was a very disturbed young man in his teens," he said.

"Quite what was going through his mind is impossible to tell. Largely what he did was dominate children in an illegal fashion."

Haut de la Garenne closed as a children's home in 1986. The historical abuse inquiry began in 2006, looking at allegations of offences made by about 100 people dating back to the 1950s.

It came to prominence in February 2008 after police said they had found a child's body and later said they had discovered human remains such as children's teeth and bone fragments.

But last November detectives said information suggesting children might have been killed was inaccurate and the island's most senior police officer was suspended.