Darius J. Pearce

Pearce was born in the City of London. He was educated at De La Salle College, Jersey. In 1997 he graduated from the University of Plymouth, where he read politics and criminal justice. In 2000 he qualified as an accountant and was appointed directorships in companies in Jersey involved in online marketing, fulfillment and accountancy. On 1 March 2009 he purchased his family's jewellery business outright.

In January 2008 the States of Jersey voted to introduce DNA tests where paternity of a child was contested, and Home Affairs Minister Senator Wendy Kinnard publicly stated that she supported the introduction of the right of unmarried parents to name their child after the father.

In 2007, he was involved with the successful campaign against the proposed Crime (Disorderly Conduct and Harassment) law, which was withdrawn amidst fears that it extended police powers too far.

In June 2007 as part of her announcement to step down from office, the Home Affairs Minister Wendy Kinnard indicated that it was her intention to bring a change to the Legitimacy Law.

In November 2007, he appeared in the Magistrates Court. He was found not guilty of all charges; he brought an action against the States of Jersey for Wrongful Arrest, False Imprisonment and Sexual Discrimination and subsequently settled out of Court with the States of Jersey for an undisclosed sum.

In May 2007 he revealed he was working towards rebranding as the Jersey Conservative Party, and stated his desire to contest the 2008 Jersey elections as a representative of that party. On 17 July the Centre Party announced that it would fight the next elections as the Jersey Conservative Party.

In July 2007, immediately following the announcement that the Jersey Conservative Party would be established in opposition to the incumbent government, the Jersey Evening Post reported that he made an accusation that photos picturing Senator Frank Walker with Gordon Brown and Ian Paisley were faked to insert Senator Walker in a letter to Gordon Brown. However, Progress Jersey reports described the photo as simply suspicious, they further indicated that no letter had been sent.

The proposition was accepted by scrutiny in June 2006 and the matter referred to the Legislation Committee. In January 2007, following the introduction of the Human Rights (Jersey) Law 2000 a case was brought before the Royal Court by a local lawyer who claimed that her illegitimate child was being discriminated against as he could not take the name of his father and that the fatherhood was not allowed to be recorded.

Darius Pearce first became politically active in November 2005 and has acted generally in opposition to the government of Jersey. As a leading member of the Centre Party (Jersey), he stood for Deputy in St Helier 3 & 4 districts, polling 459 votes (25%). Subsequently, he was one of the founding members of Progress Jersey, a charity and pressure group whose aims include to encourage electoral turnout and voter knowledge - a group he served as Treasurer, until his resignation in May 2007. He is also currently editor of Parish Matters, a quarterly newsletter produced by Progress Jersey for residents of the Parish of St Helier.

Elected to the Municipality of the Parish of St Helier, Jersey, in December 2005, he currently serves as a Roads Inspector for the Roads Committee and has been a member of the Constable's Accounts Committee. He is also active in age of consent debates on sexual offences, and the effects of their interpretations in local law, European law and international law.

He has made submissions to various Scrutiny Panels. This includes a submission regarding Jersey's tax changes, in 2005 he noted that the EU would oppose the tax changes that the Jersey government subsequently introduced. In 2009 the EU duly noted their objection to the revised tax codes adopted by Jersey. He also presented the idea of a Business Premises Tax, which was adapted into the "Blampied proposal".

He was a member of the Centre Party (Jersey) and ran the successful election campaigns in the 2005 elections for candidates Paul Le Claire and Kevin Lewis.

Darius Pearce on behalf of Progress Jersey made a submission to Jersey Scrutiny highlighting the inconsistency of the Legitimacy (Jersey) Law 1973, as amended with the position of Jersey as a signatory to the European Convention of Human Rights.

Darius James Pearce (born 23 February 1972) is a former Jersey politician.