Le Tocq: The man guilty of creating indecent images

The man who appeared to be the front-runner to lead Guernsey's most senior political committee a few months ago, has admitted a string of offences involving indecent images of children.

Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq pleaded guilty on Thursday to the creation of thousands of illegal images, and possessing extreme pornography.

The NSPCC said his crimes helped "fuel a horrific industry, which can be devastating for victims, with further trauma caused by the knowledge that images have been shared online."

After his sentencing in January it is likely the former chief minister who has represented the island in Westminster and further afield, will be removed from the States, where he is a serving member.

Le Tocq was known for leading island church communities, and his most recent election campaign earlier this year focussed on his credentials as a grandfather wanting the best for future generations.

Le Tocq was born in Guernsey in 1964 and was adopted when he was 11 days old by a couple who were unable to have children due in part to the lack of medical provision during the German Occupation of the Channel Islands during World War Two.

He was brought up speaking Guernesiais, the island's native language, and later studied and worked in Paris and London.

Outside of politics Le Tocq had roles in a number of churches in the island and in France, where Le Tocq has a second home.

He was ordained as a minister in 1989, the year he started serving as a senior pastor, and has worked with The Rock Community Church since 1983.

About a decade ago Le Tocq became involved with New Ground Churches.

His background in the church shaped his political viewpoint - for example as a staunch opponent of abortion.

In the general election in 2000, Le Tocq finished seventh in the Castel district, electing him to the States of Deliberation for what would be the first of six terms in the States.

Between 2000 and 2008, he served on a number of committees, including education and as deputy treasury minister.

Le Tocq was returned in 2012 in the Castel again and during that term he served as home department minister.

After the resignation of Peter Harwood, he beat Allister Langlois in the election for chief minister.

In 2015 he was one of the leading proponents of changing the island's marriage laws, before the introduction of same-sex marriage.

As chief minister his comments that the island was "islamophobic" so was not the right place for Syrian refugees hit the national press, which led to him apologising after the incident.

In 2016 he was elected to the island's most senior committee and has acted as the island's lead for external relations for the last nine years, representing Guernsey in the House of Commons, at party conferences and in Europe.

As part of the Policy and Resources Committee led by Deputy Peter Ferbrache he fell victim to a vote of no confidence, before being re-elected under the leadership of Deputy Lyndon Trott.

Earlier this year he finished ninth in the second island-wide general election, having been labelled the frontrunner to become the next chief minister.

But after election poll-topper Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez entered the race, he ended up coming third out of the three candidates.

However, he was returned to his seat on Policy and Resources, where he was chosen to lead on external relations again.

On 21 July Le Tocq was arrested by Guernsey Police in connection with telecommunications offences.

The next day the BBC reported the senior politician had been held and questioned by the force, before releasing him without charge.

A month later he appeared in Guernsey's Magistrate's Court charged with creating thousands of indecent images of children, possessing extreme pornography and telecommunications offences.

At a States meeting the following week he formally resigned as a member of P&R, but he remained a member of the States of Guernsey with a salary of just under £50,000 a year.

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