Jersey news and updates on coronavirus: 14-18 September

Jersey PoliceCopyright: Jersey Police

A former Deputy Head of St John’s Primary School in Jersey has been sentenced to two years and nine months in prison for making indecent images of children and sending messages of an indecent nature.

James John Matthews, 42, pleaded guilty in July to making 33 indecent images of children.

He also pleaded guilty to sending messages of an obscene and indecent nature in 2016.

Jersey's Shelter Trust is hoping people will be extra generous for its Tinathon appeal this year as the charity has seen a surge in demand for bed spaces and for food parcels during the pandemic.

Before lockdown, it offered refuge to up to 90 people a night, but that has now gone up to between 120 and 130.

Shelter Trust representative Richard Robins said any food tins will go towards a good cause.

PA MediaCopyright: PA Media

Mr Robins said the charity has had to open three new hostels to meet the surge in demand for shelter.

He said: "With that number of people sleeping a night and having to be fed we need all the food help we can get.

"During the lockdown people have really struggled and needed food parcels so the tins we recollect today are going to be fantastic - for supplementing our food supplies generally and for making up food parcels for anyone who comes to us for help."

Jersey driving licence holders will need to apply for a Green Card to drive through Europe from January 2021 - or could risk breaking the law.

The transition period for Brexit - when the UK will leave the European Union - ends at the beginning of next year.

Because of this anyone from Jersey driving a freight or a vehicle on holiday in Europe or through the Irish border will need to apply for a physical card.

Local insurance firm, Rossborough, is advising drivers to do this at least two weeks before leaving the island to ensure the card, which is a certificate of insurance, arrives on time.

Barbara Jouanny, 92, has been revealed as Jersey's Face of Liberation.

She was one of more than 6,000 people who sent in a photograph of themselves to form the giant collage. The pictures were then pieced together to make the face of a teenage Ms Jouanny.

The Face was unveiled at the Esplanade earlier.

Ms Jouanny, who lived through the German Occupation of the island, said she was baffled when she found out she would be the cover of Jersey's new installation to celebrate 75 years since the island was liberated.

"It's overwhelming. I can't understand how I was chosen out of so many people," she told BBC Radio Jersey.

Helen Marshall/the People's PictureCopyright: Helen Marshall/the People's Picture

It was unveiled by Bailiff Timothy Le Cocq in front of a limited gathering of 40 people which included His Excellency The Lieutenant Governor Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton GCB and the Chief Minister John Le Fondre, artist Helen Marshall and Mrs Jouanny.

Jersey's minister for environment has stated the island "will not be ceding control of its territorial waters".

Deputy John Young was responding to media reports that suggested the UK could surrender control over Channel Islands' fishing as part of its Brexit deal.

He said the Jersey government continued to discuss its fishing waters "in the context of Brexit", but warned involvement in any EU-UK agreement would be based on "consideration of the overall deal available".

"We believe that the fundamental principles of conservation, sustainable management, and equal access to markets must underpin any future fisheries regime for Jersey," he added.

Jersey's government would miss out on vital money to pay for schools and health care if it agrees to a call to write off people's tax debts before moving to a new system, a business consultant has said.

At the moment, the majority of people in Jersey pay tax on previous year's earnings, but the treasury department wants to change that so they pay on the current year's earnings instead.

It would mean people having to pay off the missing year, and there is debate about how that should happen.

Senator Kristina Moore, who leads a scrutiny panel looking into the matter, said she was concerned it might be too much of a financial burden for many.

More than 5,500 people have signed a petition asking that the previous year's bills should be written off so the new pay-as-you-earn system could start.

However, business consultant Kevin Keen said that would be unfair on people who had already paid on a "current year" basis earnings, and would leave the States short of millions of pounds to pay for schools, health and other services.

He added: "I don't think the treasury is in the best position to be doing this anyway."

Coronavirus tests are now being processed in Jersey at a new laboratory.

It arrived in the island four weeks ago and was used to process tests from about 170 people who arrived in the island through the airport on Tuesday.

Tests sent to the UK for processing can take more than two days to return.

The lab aims to process up to 2,000 tests a day, with results to come back within 12 hours, officials said.

Government of JerseyCopyright: Government of Jersey

Jersey ZooCopyright: Jersey Zoo

Conservationists from Jersey have helped to rescue three species of rare reptiles after an oil spill near Mauritius.

The reptiles have now arrived at Jersey Zoo, where they will be looked after and will take part in a breeding programme, before being released back into the wild.

The oil spill happened in July after a Japanese bulk carrier crashed into a coral reef south of the island.

Together with wildlife trusts in Mauritius, conservationists from Durrell made an emergency rescue of lesser night geckos, Bojer’s skinks, and Bouton’s skinks - which are at risk of dying out in the wild.

Jersey ZooCopyright: Jersey Zoo

The Jersey Community Foundation has awarded almost £200,000 of grants to charities for projects which help people to cope with the impact of Covid-19.

The funds are part of £2m released from dormant bank accounts in order to assist the Island community with the consequences of the pandemic, the States said.

Recipients include Macmillan Jersey, which is to use its grant for a community cancer support service.

The funding was also being used to support several internships for people with disabilities or long-term health conditions "who may have found it difficult to find work due to Covid-19", the States said.

A woman in Jersey died after having a heart attack while paddling in the sea at the water's edge, an inquest has concluded.

Eighty-five-year-old Therese Josephine Curry was found face down in the water at Bel Royal on 21 July.

Despite attempts to revive her, she was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Deputy Viscount Mark Harris ruled heart problems probably made her fall unconscious into the water.

Jersey's cricketers are hoping they will be able to play more international matches soon.

This year's season has been affected by coronavirus restrictions.

Development coach Lee Meloy said they were trying to plan for the next few months as "at the moment it's up in the air" for male and female teams.

He said: "We've been pretty much told that to the rest of this year there's not going to be much happening.

"Going into next year, there's plenty of cricket, including the World Cup qualifiers starting again. But as to when and where they are, we just don't know yet".

Jersey police are looking for witnesses after a motorcyclist claimed they were knocked off their bike by a car.

Officers said they were told the incident happened at about 16:15 on Saturday, at the junction of St Johns Road and Queens Road.

It was claimed a car turned right onto St Johns Road, hit the motorcyclist and did not stop.

The rider suffered minor injuries but did not need to go to hospital.

A scrutiny panel is to review plans to tax everyone in Jersey on their current year's earnings instead of a year in arrears.

At the moment people pay tax on what you earned last year, but the treasury wants to make changes so that people gradually paid that off and started paying on current earnings.

Treasury Minister Suzie Pinel argued it would help people who had earned less this year due to coronavirus.

Scrutiny leader Senator Kristina Moore is worried that might cause hardship to some islanders, and said she wanted to see how it might work after hearing people's concerns about the proposals.

Quote Message: Some people who've contacted so far have expressed concern that, not only will they have to pay back their current year tax, but, for a five to ten-year period, they'll have to pay 10% to 20% of their tax bill for 2019 at the same time, which will of course remove disposable income from their household." from Senator Kristina Moore is Scrutiny leader

Some people who've contacted so far have expressed concern that, not only will they have to pay back their current year tax, but, for a five to ten-year period, they'll have to pay 10% to 20% of their tax bill for 2019 at the same time, which will of course remove disposable income from their household."

Jersey's States is adding more parts of the UK to its list of countries and regions where some form of Covid isolation is mandatory.

Eighty-three regions are having their rules changed, meaning anyone flying back from a newly classified amber or red area will have to self-isolate and undergo two coronavirus tests

It is the second batch of changes this week, with more than 90 places reclassified on Monday.

There are a few relaxations though: parts of Scotland and areas of Northern Ireland near Derry city are moving onto the States' green list, so travellers will not need to isolate if they are coming from there.

The latest changes come into force on Wednesday night, and you can see the full list on the States' website.

Motorists have the chance to buy the Jersey car registration number J4, which until now has been used on the official vehicle of the island's lieutenant governor - the representative of the British monarch.

It was being put up for sale so Government House could buy an electric vehicle instead, officials said.

In future, the lieutenant governor would travel in an electric vehicle and the money raised from the sale of the unique number plate would go towards the cost of buying it, they added.

Infrastructure Minister Kevin Lewis said he was delighted Lieutenant Governor Sir Stephen Dalton had taken this initiative, which would contribute towards Jersey's aim of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

It will be among 50 registrations, including four-digit J numbers and low JSY numbers, due to be sold off at the Driver and Vehicle Standards’ auction of unusual registrations later this month.

Jersey's Royal Air Force Association is using its savings to pay for its work for the next few months after its main fundraising event was cancelled, bosses have said.

The organisation looks after former service personnel and their families.

When the island's international air display was cancelled because of coronavirus, it lost its biggest opportunity to raise money.

Martin Willing, from the association, said it would be able to keep going for the time after "falling back on its reserves", but that it would need to find some more money as time went on.

Travellers have been waiting an average of 28 hours to get Covid test results through after being tested in Jersey.

A Freedom of Information (FoI) request revealed some people have had to wait almost a week.

Anyone who comes back from a country or area classed as amber in the States' warning system has to have two tests when they come back, five days apart.

When they get a second negative result then they are allowed out of isolation.

People who have been identified as a possible risk by the track and trace system have to go through a similar regime.

Ministers announced on Tuesday that more than 100,000 tests had been carried out.

The longest anyone has had to wait was 141 hours, possibly because of a need to be retested, or problems with the computer system, the FoI answer said.

Jersey's road train has seen hundreds of families enjoy free trips after starting journeys around the island again.

The vehicle has been made Covid-secure and is cleaned down between every journey.

The carrying out of 100,000 Covid tests in Jersey has been part of work that has "allowed our island to continue functioning, while also protecting the health of our residents", the health minister has said.

Marking the milestone, Deputy Richard Renouf said the testing, with the current system running for nearly two-and-a-half months, had meant the island had "just 11 known active cases and no community transmission of the virus".

Islanders and visitors who had been abiding by Jersey's Covid rules - "in place to protect us all" - had also helped keep infection rates down, he said.

Quote Message: This has been a difficult and sometimes confusing time, as we have to respond to changes in virus activity as they happen. But I am proud of the systems we have put in place that have allowed our island to continue functioning, while also protecting the health of our residents.

This has been a difficult and sometimes confusing time, as we have to respond to changes in virus activity as they happen. But I am proud of the systems we have put in place that have allowed our island to continue functioning, while also protecting the health of our residents.

Quote Message: We are not through this pandemic yet, and there may well be more difficult decisions to come. But our testing programme will continue and our on-island testing lab will improve it further by reducing the turnaround time for test results." from Deputy Richard Renouf Jersey Health Minister

We are not through this pandemic yet, and there may well be more difficult decisions to come. But our testing programme will continue and our on-island testing lab will improve it further by reducing the turnaround time for test results."