Alphonse Le Gastelois (14 October 1914 – 3 June 2012) was an agricultural worker and fisherman from Jersey who lived in self-imposed exile on the Écréhous reef for 14 years after being wrongly accused of a string of sexual assaults on children.

Ten years later, on 10 July 1971, the real criminal, Edward Paisnel, nicknamed the Beast of Jersey, was caught and on 29 November 1971, was sentenced to jail for 13 attacks; this ended an 11-year reign of terror.

Stan de la Haye of the Honorary Police described Le Gastelois as a loner who wore a dirty old raincoat tied up with a piece of rope, which matched the description of the wanted man.

Unfounded grudges against Le Gastelois were formed in fear, and fueled by the local police force in Jersey not speaking out to silence gossip.

As the hysteria reached fever pitch, Le Gastelois' unconventional lifestyle led him to become one of 30 suspects arrested during an investigation by Scotland Yard.

From May 1961 until April 1975 and despite Paisnel's capture, Le Gastelois continued to live a quiet life of solitude on the islet of La Marmotière, explaining that he had become so used to it and it was his home with all his possessions there with him.

Exonerated, Le Gastelois remained on the Écréhous where he formed the firm conviction based on what he had read in the law books given to him by visitors that the archipelago could become an independent entity since they were not permanently occupied.

[6] After Le Gastelois lived for 14 years as a hermit, in 1975 a posse of officials from Jersey went to the reef to exterminate rabbits which were said to be destroying what little vegetation existed there.

He was imprisoned for three months on remand, but at his subsequent Royal Court trial he was unanimously acquitted by the 24-strong jury who took just minutes to reach their 'not guilty' verdict.

"[8][13] The Finance and Economics Committee presented written comments to the States, expressing their sympathy for Le Gastelois' circumstances but in their opinion paying compensation could establish a precedent.

[16] Amongst the many friends that attended his funeral were nine expert mariners from Normandy who had been amongst Le Gastelois' most frequent visitors during his exile, including Alain Blancheton, former harbourmaster of Carteret who gave the eulogy.

[17] Shortly after Le Gastelois' death, a Facebook group was set up to gain public support for a suitable memorial.