Lord Eric Pickles offers a sincere apology for the fact that Nazi war criminals went untried.

In a crowded press conference at the Imperial War Museum in London earlier today (22 May) new facts came to light about the Nazi’s time on Alderney.

Twelve expert historians revealed that deaths were far in excess of the 396 bodies exhumed in the post-war period.

But researchers, such as Dr Caroline Sturdy-Colls, faced academic difficulties in finding the exact number.

Her contribution to the report puts the number at between 641 and just over 1100. A shocking revelation.

Lord Eric Pickles, who commissioned the panel, apologised to the victims at the press conference.

“It is a stain on the reputation of the UK that they did not receive justice in British soil by a British judicial system.”

Read: Official report puts Nazi slave labour death toll on Alderney at 1,027, possibly more

Dr Gilly Carr opened the presentation

The States of Alderney has welcomed the work that has been done to try to establish an accurate figure.

President of the States, William Tate said:

"The review makes clear what terrible conditions the people who had been brought to the Island had to endure and how cheap their lives were to the occupying forces. The brave Islanders who returned home in 1945, having been evacuated in 1940, saw first hand the devastation that had been wrought upon their Island home.

“As a community we will never forget the suffering that these poor souls endured and the tragic loss of life, resulting from the callous and inhumane behaviour of the occupying forces."

Likewise, the States of Guernsey has praised the work of the review as 'rigorous and comprehensive' and says it hopes it will help to 'bring some conclusion to the speculation and debate there has been on this periods of Alderney's history'.

Chief Minister Lyndon Trott said:

"I would like to extend my thanks to Lord Pickles and the Review Panel. This is a thorough and clear report which helps to counter some of the claims we have seen in recent years with solid, well-documented evidence.

"My thoughts are with the people who were brought to Alderney, those that suffered and those who died there during this time. Ultimately, this review was carried out to shine a light on the truth of what happened to them during those years.”