OPEN LETTER: From the Families for Culture Change - Bailiwick Express News Guernsey: The Families for Culture Change represent 17 families who have raised concerns about their child’s medical treatment.) Published on November 25, 2025 - before yesterday's vote:
A TASTE: "We – Families for Culture Change – believe that the current code of conduct complaint faced by Gavin St Pier is the latest example of a process being weaponised and a smear campaign being mounted against someone challenging medical and health services locally. We can attest to being on the receiving end of this behaviour during the darkest and most terrifying times of our lives, when our children were at their most unwell. We would never wish our experiences on any family. This is why, over a number of years, we independently approached Deputy St Pier to advocate for us, bring our experiences to light and press for much-needed cultural change. Only after years of resistance did Deputy St Pier use parliamentary privilege to name Sandie Bohin, the doctor who was at the centre of so many of our harrowing experiences. We can evidence complaints stretching back more than a decade. Our concerns have led to three independent investigations being commissioned by the island’s Medical Director/Responsible Officer. One of these was conducted by the Island Child Protection Committee, one by an independent UK safeguarding consultancy, and one by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Significant findings have arisen from these investigations. The Medical Specialist Group and Dr Bohin like to state that no complaint has been upheld about her, but this is demonstrably untrue"… Read on.
https://www.bailiwickexpress.com/news-ge/open-letter-from-the-families-for-culture-change/
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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "St Pier called for an independent review of the complaints system at Health and Social Care and the Medical Specialist Group, at the end of his speech arguing against his suspension. Employment and Social Security President Tina Bury indicated she would vote against the proposal to suspend him.
She criticised the current complaints system at Health and Social Care, where she served as vice-president last term, as "not fit for purpose". "They are not independent of the departments that they relate to. They are not open and transparent."
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STORY: "Deputy who broke code of conduct avoids suspension," by Guernsey Political Reporter John Fernandez, published by BBC News, on November 27, 2025.
SUB-HEADING: "Gavin St Pier broke the States code of conduct over a call he made with a journalist."
The vice-president of Guernsey's top political committee has avoided a 25-day suspension from the States.
The parliamentary watchdog found Gavin St Pier, the former chief minister and current Policy and Resources vice-president, broke the States code of conduct in a phone call he had with a journalist where he discussed safeguarding concerns and Dr Sandie Bohin.
Following almost a full day of debate, deputies voted to reject the proposed punishment of a suspension without pay.
Twenty-two politicians voted against the motion to suspend, while 11 supported the proposed punishment, with five abstaining.
St Pier called for an independent review of the complaints system at Health and Social Care and the Medical Specialist Group, at the end of his speech arguing against his suspension.
Employment and Social Security President Tina Bury indicated she would vote against the proposal to suspend him.
She criticised the current complaints system at Health and Social Care, where she served as vice-president last term, as "not fit for purpose".
"They are not independent of the departments that they relate to. They are not open and transparent."
Which way did deputies vote?
Deputies David Dorrity, Mark Helyar, Neil Inder, Munazza Malik, Liam McKenna, Andrew Niles, George Oswald, Charles Parkinson, Andy Sloan, Jennifer Strachan and Simon Vermeulen voted to suspend Deputy St Pier.
Twenty-two deputies voted to throw out the suspension; Deputies Chris Blin, Yvonne Burford, Tina Bury, Haley Camp, Haley Camp, Garry Collins, Rob Curgenven, Lindsay de Sausmarez, Steve Falla, Adrian Gabriel, John Gollop, Sarah Hansmann-Rouxell, Rhona Humphreys, Sasha Kazantseza-Miller, Marc Lainé, Marc Leadbeater, Aidan Matthews, Jayne Ozanne, Sally Rochester, Tom Rylatt, G
Five members abstained; Deputies Andy Cameron, Bruno Kay-Mouat, Paul Montague, Alderney States members Alex Snowdon and Edward Hill.
Scrutiny President Andy Sloan, who opened the day's debate, argued the independent Commissioner for Standard's proposals to suspend Deputy St Pier should be approved.
"Due process is not an inconvenience. It is the protection that ensures fairness, impartiality, credibility," he said.
President of the Committee for the Environment and Infrastructure, Adrian Gabriel, argued the current code of conduct system for States members' behaviour was not fit for purpose.
His Vice-President Sally Rochester agreed that the proposal should be thrown out: "I do agree with the findings in the report that Deputy St Pier should have made clear to the journalists that complaints were unsubstantiated, but do not consider that wrongdoing to justify the sanction.
"I cannot agree that disclosing complaints to journalists was incompatible with the duty to act impartially or in the public interest."
Policy and Resources member Yvonne Burford "The only comparable modern precedent involved sustained, deliberate, deceitful and harmful conduct. By contrast, this case stems from what could be characterised as a single lapse of judgement.""
The entire story can be read at:
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/deputy-broke-code-conduct-avoids-150942326.html
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
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