"Help me prove my innocence"

Tuesday 22 October 2019

Back in 1985, two young islanders were arrested for vandalising the Castel Church Cemetery, and after being interviewed by Guernsey Police, one of them said the other had done it, but he still maintains he did not.

Nigel Simon, now turning 50, found himself before the Courts, and despite adamantly claiming he was innocent, he was sent to Borstal - an infamous UK Youth Detention Centre.

Now Mr Simon is once again claiming his innocence, and says his former friend was pressured in to telling police he was guilty because neither of them had done anything. 

He is appealing to anyone who can help him clear his name, and is offering a £10,000 reward to anyone who can give him any useful information or names which will help bring the matter back to court. 

Pictured: Mr Simon was sent to Borstal for his 'crime' - a youth detention centre which is claimed to make prison look like "a walk in the park". He said it sent his life into a downward spiral. 

"I remember there was a big public uproar at the time - when the cemetery was damaged - but all I knew was that one of the grave stones on the edge of the site was smashed," he said, "the next thing I knew the police were round my house and then I was at the station being interview, I was being accused of having vandalised the whole thing." 

Mr Simon said he felt he was quickly thought of by police because he lived near to the cemetery. He also made no attempt to hide the fact he was known to police at the time: "I, and my circle of friends, was known to the police - we weren't a good group but vandalism wasn't us. We just had no idea what happened until we were in interviews." 

Pictured top: Mr Simon has been provided with some back copies of the Guernsey Press which he says he was not allowed to read at the time, when he was in custody. They show headstones were buried into the ground, a vault and part of its stone top were removed and two headstones were thrown 20 feet into a vault. Mr Simon said there was no way he could have done all of this as a lone teenager. 

After hours of questioning, Mr Simon found out his friend who had also been arrested had accused him of doing it. He told Express that he felt this had happened so his friend could get it over with, and that he was later told his friend only expected him to get a fine.

After that, Mr Simon was sentenced to 12 months in Borstal, starting a downward spiral in his life.

15 years ago, Mr Simon moved away from Guernsey and relocated to the UK. Now, turning 50, he said he has finally had enough of blaming his former-friend, and wants to clear his name and blame the right people. 

Having built up some money, he said he is able to offer a reward of £10,000 for "for information and names to help bring this back to court and resolve and clear my name". He has also hired a lawyer in Guernsey to pursue appealing his conviction, and written letters of complaint to the Police, Law Officers and more. He said he is not going to stop until he has been listened to properly. 

"At the time we were an easy way out for the police, and they knew they would get us one way or another," Mr Simon said, "now I am in a position where I can try and clear my name though.

"Please help to right this injustice. However small the information may seem, I believe there are people who know what really happened that night."

To get in touch with Mr Simon, go to his Facebook page here. 

Pictured top: Nigel Simon.