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Pedophile visited site where bodies found

ST. CLEMENT, Jersey, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- A pedophile called the "Beast of Jersey" visited the former orphanage on Jersey under investigation for child abuse, officials said Monday.

Edward Paisnel was jailed for 30 years in 1971 for sexual assaults on children and women, The Daily Mail (Britain) reported Monday. He visited Haut de la Garenne orphanage in St. Clement as Father Christmas during the 1960s, officials said.

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Officials said they had "no evidence" yet linking Paisnel with remains found by a police-trained dog at the orphanage or a suspected pedophile ring at the center of the investigation. Police are investigating allegations of decades-long child abuse at the facility on the island off the coast of Normandy, France.

Jersey police said the dogs and forensic teams identified six other areas meriting investigation.

"There have been a few more sites where the dog has shown interest," a police spokeswoman said. "We are looking at six more sites."

Former Jersey Health Minister Sen. Stuart Syvret, fired from his position in 2007, urged anyone at the orphanage -- now a youth hostel -- to contact authorities. His concerns about alleged child abuse prompted the States of Jersey, the island's governing body, to order a review of child-care services.

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