‘Show me the evidence’: St. John’s court hears recordings of accused predator Tony Humby’s arrests
Tony Humby, 64, denied knowing some of the youth he’s charged with sexually abusing
“Mr. Humby, could you step out of the house, please?” asked one of two Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officers standing on Tony Humby’s St. John’s doorstep on the morning of April 6, 2023.
“No. Why?,” Humby replied.
When the officers told him he was under arrest for sexual assaulting two teenage boys, he let them inside.
Police read him his rights and asked if he wanted to speak to a lawyer. When he said yes, they told him they couldn’t leave him alone in his house to make the call, but would give him privacy to do it in the backseat of their empty vehicle.
“This is crazy,” Humby replied, getting dressed with an officer nearby before they escorted him from his home.
Humby, now 64, and his neighbour, 82-year-old Bruce Escott, were both arrested that day and charged with several sexual violence offences against male youth over a period of years.
Charges were added as other complainants came forward, and Humby is currently on trial for more than 70 of them. His recorded statements to police were played aloud in the provincial courtroom for Judge Rolf Pritchard Friday, Nov. 7.
Seven complainants have testified so far, many of them giving similar evidence of having met Humby when they were young teenagers living in group homes or struggling with addictions issues. They said they were introduced to him by friends as someone who would supply them with alcohol, marijuana and cigarettes.
Most of the complainants testified Humby manipulated them with beer, weed and money and sexually assaulted them repeatedly, in his home and his vehicle.
In the interview room at RNC headquarters after his arrest, Humby indicated he wouldn’t be giving a statement.
Police asked him outright if he had committed the alleged crimes against the first two youth.
“Did you ever interact sexually with (the two complainants)?,” an officer asked.
“No.”
“Did you expose yourself to them?”
“No.”
“Did you ever show them pornography by video or pictures?”
“No.”
“How do you know them?,” the officer inquired. Humby said he had met the two youth several years earlier through mutual friends and had socialized with them. He mentioned giving the boys money when they had cocaine habits.
“This is the first time ever that I’ve had any trouble with the law,” he told police. “I can’t believe it.”
When the officer told Humby he would be transported to the city lockup to face a judge in the morning, Humby asked if it was necessary for him to be detained overnight, insisting he wasn’t a flight risk. He was told investigators felt it necessary to keep him in custody to prevent other potential offences.
SOURCE: SALTWIRE
