During the trial, the '19 Kids and Counting' alum's friend states that the disgraced star 'had his sister on his lap and touched her private area' when his sibling was asleep.
- Dec 7, 2021
AceShowbiz - Josh Duggar's second-week trial for child pornography case has begun. During the trial, a longtime "best friend" of the Duggar family, Bobye Holt, stated that the "19 Kids and Counting" alum molested his young sisters during bible time since he was 12 years old.
"They took us to their bedroom and Josh was sitting on the floor," Bobye told the judge on Monday, December 6 at a federal courthouse in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Before breaking down in tears, she said that Josh had sexually assaulted one of his sisters, referred to as Jane Doe 4, earlier that day.
Bobye recounted, "He had Jane Doe 4 on his lap during bible time and he touched her private area, her breast area and her bottom area." Bobye added that the sister in question was five when the abuse happened.
"He ended up confessing that, on and off, since he was 12 years old, he would touch Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 2 and Jane Doe 3," Bobye said. She went on to note that Josh, who was dating Bobye's eldest daughter at the time, told her that he "touched their breast area, their private area, on top of their clothes, sometimes under, when they were sleeping."
Bobye told jurors that her daughter's courtship with Josh was immediately "called off' and Josh was taken by her husband and Jim Bob Duggar to a "facility for troubled youth." She continued, "He told me that he actually went under her pantaloons and under her panties and touched her vagina."
Bobye said she asked Josh if he had touched his sister's privates or whether he had penetrated her with his fingers. "He said both," she recalled, struggling to continue as she fought back tears.
Bobye confessed to the court that she had been approached several times and even offered money to talk about the abuse scandal over the years, but she had declined the offer until the prosecution asked for her cooperation. Concluding her evidence, she insisted, "I still love Josh."
Upon hearing Bobye's statement, Josh didn't show any emotion. When making an appearance at the court, the 33-year-old reality star wore a black suit, striped tie and black facemask.
Previously, Bobye had testified on the allegations that Josh touched minors in the early 2000s. "[Josh] explained that Jane Doe four was sitting on his lap during Bible time and he touched her inappropriately," Bobye said on Monday, November 29. "He said it happened that day. On that date, he told us that he touched her vaginal area."
Bobye further explained that Josh touched the girl under her clothes. She also told the judge that Josh admitted to touching three other girls, each of them on their breasts and genitals. She added, "From when he told me … it started at [age] 12 until March 30, 2003."
