Jersey warden to appear in court

Haut de la Garenne has been converted into a youth hostel

A man who served as a warden at the former Jersey care home Haut de la Garenne is to appear before the island's Magistrates Court.

Gordon Claude Wateridge, 76, has been charged with assaulting three girls under the age of 16.

He is accused of committing the assaults between January 1969 and December 1973.

The allegations came to light as part of the ongoing investigation into historic abuse on Jersey.

This inquiry was launched by Jersey police 18 months ago.

Mr Wateridge was born in Croydon and lives in the Jersey parish of St Clement. He is also being charged with the unlawful possession of a firearm.

Although he worked at Haut de la Garenne, his arrest is unconnected with the discovery of a fragment of a child's skull at the former children's home and the ongoing forensic search there.