85-year-old accused of child sex abuse threatened to kill himself

Wednesday 02 November 2016

The 85-year-old retired farmer accused of sexually abusing a boy under 16 told Police he'd kill himself if he was charged.

Bryan John Le Brocq is charged with eight counts of sexual assault on the alleged victim, who was 13 when it is claimed the abuse started. He denies all the charges.

This morning the officer who arrested him in August last year told the Court that after Mr Le Brocq's police interview he went back to the farm to cut down a length of rope hanging in a barn, because he was concerned he would use it to kill himself.

He said that when he was first arrested Mr Le Brocq asked: "Is this about the boy? I'm shocked."

The officer went on to say: "He repeatedly said he would kill himself if he got charged, when he was in the police car. I was sitting beside him.

"Post interview we took him home and there was a rope hanging from the barn that he had told us about during the interview.

He told the court that the defendant had raised the issue during interview that the rope was there for the alleged victim to kill himself.

He said: "I cut it down with the mention that he wanted to kill himself."

The Court heard the transcript of Mr Le Brocq's police interview when he told officers "I've never done any trouble in my life....I once had girlfriends."

He told them: "He's got his own room, his own bed, I never slept in his bed once....He accepted me more of a father, more than his own father."

"I certainly never went to his bloody bed. He lived down the other end of the house....

"He was well on the drugs. I don't want to be nasty but I couldn't see the back of him quick enough."

This morning the Court heard from the alleged victim's mother who when asked whether she or her ex-husband had any concerns about their son spending time with Mr Le Brocq at his farm, said: "We had talked to local Jersey people and we were told that Bryan was a good Jersey farmer and a gentleman and there was no need to have any concern.

"We had instilled in our children our concerns we'd have about anybody."

Defence Advocate Heidi Heath asked her whether her son was ever violent, she replied: "He gets upset and that comes across in a verbal way and sometimes we have to finish our conversations because he can't express himself because he's angry.

"I love him very much. I can't carry on listening to his language but he's never violent.

Under cross-examination she said: "As a mum it is hard to stand here and answer these questions and as a mum you always think you could do better. I would like to get to the facts myself as a mother.

She went on to tell the court: "He feels that if I'd been a better mother, he wouldn't have turned to Mr Le Brocq."

The trial continues.