'A childhood of abuse' at Haut de la Garenne
A CHILDHOOD of sexual and emotional abuse was the backdrop to a paedophile who indecently assaulted two girls in the 1950s and 1960s.
The Royal Court heard the tale as 96-year-old Gaston John Pinsard, was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Representing him, Advocate Amy Richardson explained Pinsard had been born in Jersey.
His mother was unmarried and he did not know who his father was. Because his mother had to work he stayed at the Haut de la Garenne school for boys where he was regularly abused.
'This was an environment where emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children was the norm, not only from adults on the children they were meant to protect but also the children themselves,' she said. 'It was a culture where the sexualisation of children was the norm.'
Advocate Richardson said Pinsard had returned to live with his family in Guernsey, but dreams of a normal family life were 'not to be'. He was left isolated as all his family spoke French and he did not.
'Whilst in this family setting Mr Pinsard should have felt protected and loved by his family,' she said.
'Instead it was in this environment that again Mr Pinsard became the victim of sexual and emotional abuse.
'His formative years were blighted by every kind of abuse imaginable.'
