It’s been confirmed that Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq’s case will be heard by Guernsey’s Royal Court, after a committal hearing this morning.
He’s now due to appear before the Royal Court – which has a higher sentencing power than the Magistrate’s Court – on 4 December, for a ‘plea and direction’ hearing.
If he does appear in court on that date, Deputy Le Tocq will be asked to plead guilty or not guilty to the charges of making indecent images of children, the possession of “extremely pornographic images”, and offences relating to the “misuse of telecommunications”.
So far he has not entered any pleas.
At today’s hearing, Deputy Le Tocq was re-remanded into custody, for the “same reasons as before” according to Guernsey’s Greffe.
Previous reasons given in court were to protect the Deputy from the risk of harm from himself and others and to give Guernsey Police more time to investigate evidence.
The island’s former Chief Minister was first arrested in July on suspicion of telecommunication offences. He was released on police bail while those initial investigations continued at that time.
He was then charged with numerous telecommunication and sexual offences in August and was remanded into custody when he appeared before the Magistrate’s Court for the first time.
Deputy Le Tocq was remanded in to custody for a second month in September, while Guernsey Police continued their investigations into his alleged activities.
He was subsequently re-remanded into custody twice in October, the first via video link, and the second time during an in-person appearance in court.
By the time Deputy Le Tocq is asked to enter a plea on 4 December he’ll have been in custody for 136 days at Les Nicolles prison.