Former chief minister admits indecent child images

Deputy Jonathan le Tocq in the UK House of Parliament - He is a bald man wearing a blue suit, a white shirt and a pink tie. On his left lapel he is wearing a Guernsey flag pin badge. Parliamentlive.tv

Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq previously represented Guernsey abroad

John Fernandez
Guernsey political reporter

Former Guernsey Chief Minister and serving States member Jonathan Le Tocq has pleaded guilty to creating more than 2,400 indecent images of children.

To the charges of possessing extreme pornography and telecommunications offences, he also entered a guilty plea in Guernsey's Royal Court. He will be sentenced at a later date.

Deputy Le Tocq was arrested by Guernsey Police on 21 July and resigned from the island's top political committee on 1 September, but he remains a politician in receipt of his salary.

He finished ninth in June's general election after receiving 8,002 votes and was nominated to be the island's most senior politician, but was not elected to the role in July.

In court on Thursday he pleaded guilty to all 15 counts:

  • Seven counts of sending by means of telecoms network an indecent message

  • Making a pseudo indecent image of a child - minimum of 230 x Category A

  • Making an indecent image of a child - minimum of 13 x Category A

  • Making a pseudo indecent image of a child - minimum of 1731 x Category C

  • Making an indecent image of a child - minimum of 10 x Category C

  • Distributing a pseudo indecent image of a child - 1 x Category C

  • Possession of extreme pornographic images – 218

  • Making a pseudo indecent image of a child - minimum of 486 x Category B

  • Making an indecent image of a child - minimum of 10 x Category B

Le Tocq's guilty pleas to all 15 counts on Thursday will likely lead to his removal from the States of Guernsey.

'Profound betrayal'

In a statement president of the Policy and Resources Committee Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez said Le Tocq's guilty plea had "deepened my heartbreak and empathy for his victims".

She said her thoughts remained with them and all others affected by Le Tocq's actions, including family and church members.

De Sausmarez said details that have emerged of "these heinous crimes" had shocked her and many others "to the core".

The president said: "What compounds that shock is the profound betrayal of the trust that so many had placed in him - not least through his position as an elected representative of the people of Guernsey.

"It's that betrayal of people's trust that I have struggled most with, personally.

"It's destabilising and corrosive, because it can undermine our confidence in what we understand to be true more generally."

She added that the "strong and close community" gave her hope and said she was confident islanders would support those affected with sensitivity.

'Horrific industry'

An NSPCC spokesperson said: "As a politician, Le Tocq had a duty to safeguard and protect vulnerable people.

"Yet he involved himself in criminality in which children are harmed. Viewing and sharing child sexual abuse material fuels a horrific industry, which can be devastating for victims, with further trauma caused by the knowledge that images have been shared online.

"This case also highlights the need for tech companies to protect children and prevent offenders like Le Tocq from accessing and sharing child sexual abuse content on their platforms."

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line.

Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].

More on this story

Related internet links