A music teacher and former manager of a youth orchestra has appeared in court charged with supplying drugs and exploiting a child for sex.
Appearing in the dock of Belfast Magistrates Court, 48-year-old Robert James Briscoe confirmed his identity and that he understood the eight charges against him.
On an indictment covering a time period between September 30th, 2025 and March 10th, 2026, Briscoe faces two counts of human trafficking of a child, and single offences of paying for the sexual services of the child, administering a substance to the complainant in order to overpower or stupefy them to facilitate a sex offence and attempting to pay for sexual services.
Briscoe, with an address at Seamount in Belfast, faces three drug charges, accusing him of possessing and intending to supply class A methamphetamine and simple possession of class B nandrolone.
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None of the alleged background was opened in court but a police officer said he believed he could connect Briscoe to each of the offences.
The particulars of the offences disclose allegations that Briscoe arranged or facilitated the travel of another person with a view to that person being exploited and that he intentionally claimed for himself the sexual services of a person under the age of 18. It is also alleged that Briscoe intentionally administered a substance with “the intention of stupefying or overpowering the complainant so as to enable a person to engage in a sexual activity”.
A prosecuting lawyer told district judge Anne Marshall “the file is in” but she was applying for a four-week adjournment “for an update on a decision”.
Applying for legal aid, defence solicitor Adrian Harvey revealed that Briscoe is on a “precautionary suspension” from his job as a teacher. He told the court that employment will probably end after the hearing on Thursday.
Briscoe has also worked as the manager of the City of Belfast Youth Orchestra.
Releasing Briscoe on bail, the judge ordered the defendant to reside at his home address and prohibited contact with the complainant.
She granted legal aid but told Harvey her decision was “not without some hesitation”.
