Former senator back in court

The trial of former Senator Stuart Syvret began on Monday.

He faces charges of breaking the data protection law.

Stuart Syvret claims he was acting in the public interest when he published a confidential police report on his blog in March last year. The prosecution claim it was sensationalist, ill-informed and a breach of the data protection law. They began by outlining their case.

This is the story so far. In 1999, Police investigated a nurse on suspicion of murdering patients. They found no evidence and dropped the case.

A decade later, Stuart Syvret published the confidential police report, naming the nurse and claiming he was a 'Harold Shipman-esque mass murderer' who was still on the loose in Jersey'.

In April 2009 - Syvret's home was raided by officers who interviewed and released him. Then in July he was charged with two data protection offences relating to the article written on his blog.

Three months later he left the island claiming political and legal asylum, because he said he could not get a fair trial. As a consequence of being out of the island for more than six months, the senator's seat came up for re-election. He returned to the island in May - and lost his seat in June.

Two weeks ago he was found guilty of motoring offences.

The Data Protection Commissioner, Emma Martins, was questioned, followed by former Detective Inspector Barry Faudemer, who wrote the original report.

He repeatedly said there was no evidence that the nurse in question had caused those deaths or even any harm to the patients involved, and he laughed off the suggestion of a cover-up, saying that if he had suspected that he would have redoubled the efforts of the investigating team.

The trial continues.
Former senator back in court