'Lockdown imminent' text needs to be investigated

Deputy Gavin St Pier released on social media what he said was the text of a message sent by a family member of Deputy Peter Ferbrache.

He said it read: ‘I don’t know if you’ve seen news about new Covid cases, I’ve just spoke to my dad and we are going into full lockdown at 12pm today. Schools, pubs, everything will close with immediate effect.’

A few hours later Deputy Ferbrache, as chairman of the Civil Contingencies Authority, was announcing in public that there had been four community seeding cases of Covid-19, and the island was therefore going into lockdown with immediate effect.

Deputy St Pier said under Civil Contingency Authority law any unauthorised disclosure was a criminal offence.

‘If there has been any breach of the legal duty of confidentiality under the Civil Contingencies Law, it is a serious criminal matter and therefore Law Enforcement must investigate.

‘There is also the matter of political accountability. However uncomfortable for those involved, it is important that the community receives answers as to who said what to whom, when and why,' he said.

Approached for comment, Deputy Ferbrache said that if Deputy St Pier or anyone else believed they had material which might indicate an offence, they should disclose it to the relevant authority.

‘I am not on the relevant social media but I have been appraised of certain of the messages appearing there.

‘As I understand the position from those messages, the WhatsApp, which my daughter has no recollection of sending, and such messages are encrypted so there may or may not be a data protection breach.’

He added that the WhatsApp was sent about 8.30 to 8.35am. ‘The decision to enter into a second lockdown was made sometime thereafter.’

Deputy Ferbrache did not feel he could comment further while Law Enforcement investigations are still current.

‘I am more than willing so to do when the legal process has come to an end.’