CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - A Concord judge has ordered prosecutors to turn over the counseling records of a woman accusing a former Canterbury police chief of sexually assaulting her more than 10 years ago.
The Concord Monitor reports (https://bit.ly/1SCpT0R ) the judge says he wants to review the records privately to determine whether any of them should be disclosed to the defense in John LaRoche’s case.
LaRoche’s attorney had argued that reviewing the woman’s conversations should be permitted because they could prove that the alleged acts were consensual.
Prosecutors countered that the therapist-client relationship is normally protected by federal privacy laws.
LaRoche has said his defense intends to prove that the woman, then a teenage Boscawen police cadet, willingly took part in their sexual encounters. He’s pleaded not guilty and resigned as chief in January.
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Information from: Concord Monitor, https://www.cmonitor.com
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