Skip to main content

Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq pleads guilty to child image charges

Former chief minister Jonathan Le Tocq today entered guilty pleas to a total of 15 matters of making, sending, or possessing a minimum of more than 2,400 indecent images of children.

Deputy Le Tocq was arrested in July and remanded in custody upon charge in August
Deputy Le Tocq was arrested in July and remanded in custody upon charge in August / Guernsey Press

The 61-year-old who was wearing a blue sweat shirt, bowed his head and lowered his voice in the Royal Court as he admitted all matters in front of a full public gallery.

Three of the charges involved making indecent pseudo-images of children - images created with the use of computer technology. Indecent images of children are graded on a C to A ascending scale in terms of their seriousness.

Numbers in those matters are a minimum of 1,731, 486, and 230 in each category respectively.

Other offences for which he stands to be sentenced include one of distributing a category C pseudo image, one of possessing 218 extreme pornography images, three of making indecent images of children, and seven of sending messages and images of an indecent character to others using X and Instagram accounts.

The earliest of the offences dates back to 2016.

Sentencing was deferred until 26 January for a probation report to be prepared. No application was made for bail.

Le Tocq was made subject to notification requirements with immediate effect.

He was arrested in July and remanded in custody upon charge in August. He tendered his resignation as a member of Policy & Resources in September – shortly before the States was to debate revoking his membership.

He became senior pastor of the Church on the Rock in 1989 but the church has since confirmed that he has not been involved in its activities since he was charged and he has been removed from The Rock Community Church's website.