MOOSE JAW — Assiniboia man Richard John Dyke has pleaded guilty to 10 charges against minors and could receive a sentence of nearly 20 years in jail once the judge makes his decision.
Nearly 50 people packed Moose Jaw Provincial Court on May 12 as Dyke, 48, appeared for his sentencing hearing, where he pleaded guilty to 10 charges of making child pornography, sexual interference and voyeurism.
The court heard that the man abused 33 children over several decades in Coronach and Assiniboia — many incidents occurred before and around 2015 — while he had kept child exploitation materials on his computer since the late 1990s.
The Crown stayed 73 other charges.
Sentence submission
The Crown and defence put forward a joint submission recommending that Dyke spend 17 years in jail, which they said would make this the longest sentence in Saskatchewan history for this type of situation.
Since he had spent 533 days in custody after his arrest on Nov. 27, 2023, the court credited him with 800 days of enhanced time. This means, if the judge sentenced him to 17 years, he would have 5,405 days left to serve — or about 14-and-a-half years.
Moreover, Dyke must forfeit all the digital devices that contained child exploitation materials, will be on the national Sex Offender Information Registration Act for life, is prohibited for life from owning firearms and must provide a DNA sample.
However, Dyke will not be designated a dangerous offender or a long-term sexual offender.
Furthermore, he cannot be anywhere near a place where youths under age 16 are present, such as parks, pools, schools, daycares, playgrounds or community centres; he cannot obtain a job or volunteer position with authority over people under age 16; and he cannot contact anyone age 16 unless through a court-approved person.
Judge Brian Hendrickson reserved his decision and planned to officially sentence Dyke on Wednesday, May 21 at 1:30 p.m.
Background
On Nov. 6, 2023, the Coronach RCMP began an investigation into historical cases of sexual assault, after one victim’s fathers contacted the agency to say that Dyke had abused his son, Crown prosecutor Stephen Yusuff said while reading the agreed statement of facts.
After further investigations, officers arrested the man on Nov. 27, 2023, at his home in Assiniboia. A day later, the officers acquired a statement from Dyke, where he admitted to touching three boys involved in the complaint and said he had kept child pornography on his computer — which police seized — since 1997.
The seriousness of the charges
Yusuff told Judge Hendrickson that there were many aggravating (serious) factors in this case, including the “clear breach of trust” that Dyke exhibited over the decades, his abuse of his authority.
The guilty pleas give victims and their families “some measure of certainty” that Dyke will be held accountable for “his very serious offences,” the Crown continued. Also, while the man had no criminal record, it was clear for decades that he was “not a law-abiding citizen.”
It's positive that there was no trial since that could have lasted eight weeks and had an “adverse impact” on the victims and families, Yusuff said. Moreover, some charges could have disappeared “in the twinkle of an eye” because of the delay between arrest and sentencing.
Yusuff then referred to similar case law examples from across Canada and Saskatchewan, pointing out that one person in Saskatchewan received 15 years for these types of offences.
“Just to state the obvious, it seems as if, your honour, if you accept the joint submission we are proposing today, you will be imposing on Mr. Dyke the highest-ever sentence for sexual offending against children in Saskatchewan,” the Crown remarked.
Yusuff added that six victims or their families submitted victim impact statements, but none wanted to speak.
Defence lawyer Estes Fonkalsrud said Dyke and his wife separated after 22 years of marriage and she has moved away. Moreover, Dyke’s father was convicted of similar offences against children, although Dyke wouldn’t say whether his dad abused him.
Meanwhile, Dyke has been talking with correctional staff about acquiring treatment when he is sentenced to federal jail, while he is also considering additional treatment once on parole, the defence continued.
Fonkalsrud added that it’s unlikely that Dyke will ever fully reintegrate into society upon his release from jail, especially since he is 48 now and finding employment as a senior may be impossible.
Taking responsibility
Speaking from the prisoner’s box, Dyke said everyone has choices to make in life and decisions that could affect their future. He said he knows he “made a bad choice,” while there was “no justification” for what he did.
Continuing, he said that while sitting in remand, he attempted to understand his actions but concluded that he would never find that “why” answer.
“I accept full responsibility for this bad choice in my life and accept the consequences, no matter what they are,” Dyke said. “There are no words on how remorseful I am for committing these crimes and no words on how sorry I am to the victims and the families.”
Dyke then apologized to his friends and family and to his wife for lying for decades.
