Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant documents that can help answer the question.
Query: Where was Stuart Syvret born?
Stuart Syvret was born in Jersey and educated at Halkett Place School, St Helier Boys School and Highlands College. He obtained City and Guilds Craft and Advanced Craft in carpentry and joinery and went on to become a Member of the Institute of Carpenters. He was a Cabinet maker before entering politics.[1]
At the outset of the proceedings, Syvret made an application to the Royal Court in August 2009, arguing that the Assistant Magistrate was biased against him, as was the Commissioner of the Royal Court hearing that application. Sir Richard Tucker rejected these submissions and ordered him to pay costs.[95] When the case resumed in the Magistrate's Court, Syvret sought to call the Attorney General, several senior civil servants, the suspended police chief Graham Power and other police officers, and Deputy Carolyn Labey (his former partner) as witnesses.[96]
Syvret indicated that he was now prepared to accept community service and was sentenced to 80 hours for contempt of the Magistrate's Court. The fine was reduced to £1,400 and legal costs to £5,000.[114] However, by early November 2011, Syvret had not carried out any of the community service sentence, and on 2 November 2011 he was re-sentenced by the Magistrate to eight weeks in prison;[115] Syvret's appeal to the Royal Court was dismissed,[116] as was a subsequent application to reopen the appeal.[117] The jail sentence was extended by a further month and six days for non-payment of the fine.[118] He was released from prison on 30 December 2011.[119]
On 10 April 2007 the Jersey Evening Post reported that Syvret had accused the Tax Justice Network of blackmailing him, an accusation strongly denied.[125] Senator Syvret complained to the police, but subsequently stated the matter was not worth pursuing.[126]
On 4 September 2010, Syvret appealed to the Jersey Court of Appeal against the Royal Court's ruling in August 2009. Miss Clare Montgomery QC, sitting as Court of Appeal judge, refused leave to appeal, holding that "the Commissioner was right not to recuse himself".[100]
On 27 September 2010 Syvret applied to the Royal Court for judicial review of the continuing prosecution; the application was refused.[101] (An appeal against this decision was refused in July 2011).[102]
On 12 September 2007, the States assembly held a six-hour debate on Chief Minister Frank Walker's proposition to dismiss Syvret from ministerial office, which Walker said was prompted solely by Syvret's "reprehensible behaviour in recent weeks".[58] Members voted in favour of Syvret's dismissal by 35 to 15.[59]
In February 2008, a States of Jersey Police investigation into historic child abuse began to be widely reported in the news media around the world. Syvret and others called on the UK Home Secretary Jack Straw to appoint English prosecutors and judges to deal with what Syvret called "the child protection crisis".[65] Syvret himself was criticized for declining assistance from a former head of New Scotland Yard's paedophile unit during his tenure as health minister.[66] In May 2008, Syvret made a formal complaint to the police claiming that senior civil servants had perverted the course of justice by covering up abuse of children in care homes.[67]
With the start of a new system of ministerial government in December 2005, Syvret was one of two candidates for the post of Chief Minister, along with Senator Frank Walker.[30] In a secret ballot on 5 December 2005, the States' assembly elected Walker to be the first Chief Minister in Jersey history by 38 votes to Syvret's 14.[31]
During his first nine years as a States member, Syvret held various positions including chairing a committee on Freedom of Information and membership of the House Committee, Establishment Committee, Public Services, Legislation Committee, and Employment and Social Security Committee.[16]
In June 2008 Syvret brought a vote of no confidence against the Council of Ministers in relation to the Waterfront (a major development in St Helier) – it was defeated by 41 votes to eight.[70]
Other material posted on the blog by Syvret was to lead to his prosecution for breaches of the Jersey Data Protection Law over his naming of "Nurse M" (see below).
On 6 April 2009, ten police officers went to Syvret's home, where they arrested him and carried out an extensive search of the property.[78] Syvret was held in custody for seven hours and questioned about alleged breaches of Jersey data protection law in relation to his naming of "Nurse M".[79] The Jersey Evening Post criticized police tactics,[80] as did MPs in the UK Parliament.[81] An emergency sitting of the States assembly was called[82] – though the assembly subsequently voted against a proposition critical of the police's actions.[83] Svyret's lawyer complained that data protection laws were being used to restrict his freedom of expression, contrary to human rights.[84] In 2011, the police conceded that the arrest could have been handled better.[85]
Syvret was elected, at his third attempt, to the States of Jersey in 1990 for a three-year term as Deputy of Saint Helier District 3&4 as a member of the Jersey Green Party.
From 1999 to 2005, Syvret was President of the Health and Social Services Committee in the committee-based system of administration that existed at that time.
In February 2014, Google closed down the Stuart Syvret blog at the request of the Jersey authorities. A copy of the blog reappeared almost immediately on Blogger and later appeared, not hosted by Blogger.[64]
On 18 June 2009, Syvret appeared before at the Magistrate's Court charged with driving without a valid licence between September 2006 and April 2008.[86] On 9 July 2009, Syvret was charged with breaches of data protection laws relating to his blog article about "Nurse M".[87] Syvret pleaded not guilty and argued that his prosecution was an abuse of process and the charges should be struck out.[88] On 22 July 2009 the prosecuting advocate stated the case against Mr Syvret which included the allegation – "Mr. Syvret’s comments on the blog were to the effect that Nurse # was clearly a dangerous homicidal maniac and that investigation into him had been stopped for political or corrupt reasons, leaving the people of Jersey in danger. In fact the May 1999 report was followed by intensive police investigation authorised by the Attorney General. An extremely experienced police officer Mr. Faudemer led that investigation for the police, and the investigation concluded that there was insufficient evidence against Nurse #, and Nurse # was never charged. Mr. Syvret did not make any of this clear on his blog and does not appear to have troubled to find out the full facts in advance." [89]
The following day, Syvret faced calls for his resignation as minister from the chair of the Jersey Child Protection Committee, who alleged that Syvret had breached data protection law relating to a child abuse victim (an allegation Syvret denied).[50] Walker, the Chief Minister, also told Syvret to resign.[51] In turn, Syvret dismissed the chair of the Jersey Child Protection Committee.[52] In August 2007, Syvret's assistant minister resigned and relations between Syvret and senior officials were reported as being "at breaking point".[53] Svyret wrote to 2,500 staff telling them they could "blow the whistle" on management anonymously.[54] On 22 August, the Data Protection Commissioner determined that Syvret had broken data protection law by releasing "personal and highly sensitive information about a child who has been subjected to sexual abuse", a finding that Syvret rejected.[55] The following day, the Council of Ministers announced that a former director of Devon County Social Services had been appointed to carry out a "wide ranging" inquiry into childcare and child protection in Jersey,[56] which Syvret dismissed as having "absolutely no chance whatsoever of truly digging out and exposing all this issues".[57]
When the case resumed in the Magistrate's Court in August 2010, Syvret told the court that he was suffering from clinical depression and sought an adjournment of the proceedings.[99]
In accordance with the States of Jersey Law 2005, Syvret was disqualified from his senatorial seat in April 2010 due to 6 months' absence from the island.[12] He had gone to live in London during his trial in Jersey for data protection and motoring offences.
The data protection charge was brought under Article 55 of the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005, which creates the offence of disclosing personal data but permits disclosure where it is "necessary for the purposing preventing crime" or is "justified as being in the public interest".[92] During the lengthy proceedings, Sir Christopher Pitcher sitting as a Commissioner of the Royal Court explained the legal issues at stake: Syvret was, the Commissioner said,[93]
Syvret's robust dealings with fellow States members continued in August 2008, when he compared a Jewish senator to a Nazi war criminal in an argument about General Sales Tax.[74] Syvret was at the receiving end of barbed comments in March 2009, when Senator Jim Perchard, the Health Minister, told Svyret to consider committing suicide – a comment that led to Perchard's resignation.[75]
On 22 January 2008, Syvret launched a blog.[61] Material published on the blog prompted an investigation commissioned by the States of Jersey Employment Board following complaints from civil servants that they were harassed.[62] The report by Christopher Chapman found that Syvret had harassed States employees and that the Employment Board had not done enough to defend staff.[63]
From September 2007 to April 2010, Syvret was a backbencher in the States assembly. On 5 December 2007, as "Father of the House", Syvret was called on to make what is usually a short and uncontroversial speech to mark the last sitting of the assembly before Christmas; instead Syvret made an emotional plea to Chief Minister Frank Walker and other politicians for being, Syvret claimed, complicit in covering up "decades of child abuse".[60]
On his return from London in 2010, Syvret unsuccessfully fought a by-election in June 2010. He came second out of a field of nine candidates, polling 3,437 votes.[13]