Latest news with #Assiniboia
CTV News
21-05-2025
- CTV News
Sask. man sentenced to 17 years in prison for historical child sex crimes involving daycares
An Assiniboia, Sask. man has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for 10 charges related to historical sex crimes involving children at Saskatchewan daycares. Richard Dyke, 48, pleaded guilty earlier this month to three counts of sexual interference, six counts of creating child pornography and one count of publishing an intimate image without consent, according to court documents. Dyke was sentenced for those charges inside a Moose Jaw court room on Wednesday. All other charges against Dyke have been stayed by the court. The 17-year sentence was a joint submission from the Crown and defence. Due to the ages of Dyke's victims, a publication ban imposed by the court is in effect. As a result, details including how Dyke came into contact with his victims have been withheld. Saskatchewan RCMP initially charged Dyke in the fall of 2023 with more than a dozen counts related to alleged child sexual abuse at a home daycare operating out of Dyke's residence in Assiniboia. At that time, police identified the victims as three boys under the age of 12. However, 33 victims in total have been identified since, 32 of which were children as young as 18 months old and up to 17 years of age. In May 2024, 60 more charges were laid against Dyke which included historical sexual assaults, sexual interference, voyeurism and making child pornography. The offences spanned over the course of two decades, dating as far back as 2005. In addition to the home daycare operating out of Dyke's residence in Assiniboia, he also attended additional daycares in Coronach, Swift Current and Assiniboia. The communities of Tisdale, Estevan and Gravelbourg were also said to be affected, according to RCMP. In May 2024, RCMP Chief Superintendent Ted Munro said that investigators had analyzed 1.5 million pieces of digital evidence believed to be related to the crimes. -More to come…. -With files from David Prisciak, Sierra D'Souza Butts, Angela Stewart and Donovan Maess
CBC
15-05-2025
- CBC
Assiniboia, Sask., man pleads guilty to abusing children for decades in rural communities
Social Sharing Warning: this story contains references to sexual assault against minors. An Assiniboia, Sask., man has admitted he sexually abused children for decades in small communities across southern Saskatchewan. Richard John Dyke, 48, pleaded guilty to three sexual interference charges, six charges related to child pornography and one voyeurism charge on May 12 in Moose Jaw provincial court. "The joint sentence submission recommended a period of 17 years of incarceration, less time spent on remand," Ministry of Justice spokesperson Kerri Ward-Davis said in an email. "The submission also recommended lifetime sex offender registration and firearms prohibitions." Judge Brian Hendrickson will rule May 21 on whether he accepts the joint submission. If he does, it would be the longest sentence for such crimes in the province's history. Dyke initially faced 13 charges when he was arrested in November 2023 while living in Assiniboia, which is about 130 kilometres southwest of Regina. RCMP began investigating allegations of sexual assaults from the mid-2010s and officers eventually determined that three boys younger than 12 were sexually assaulted. In May 2024, RCMP laid 60 more charges after further investigation into alleged sexual assaults of minors over an 18-year time span. RCMP said they identified 29 additional victims, all youth between the ages of 18 months and 17 years of age when the offences occurred, with the majority being male. The alleged offences dated from as far back as 2005 to November 2023. "The magnitude of this investigation has proven significant. Investigators have analyzed over one-and-a-half million pieces of digital evidence. They were obtained from 24 terabytes of seized electronic devices," Chief Supt. Ted Munro, the officer in charge of criminal operations for the Saskatchewan RCMP, told reporters at the time. "If you were to take that evidence we located and you were to print that out, it will equate to a six storey building of paper." The victims were located in the Saskatchewan cities and towns of Tisdale, Estevan, Coronach, Assiniboia, Gravelbourg and Swift Current, Munro said. "Some of the victims came into contact with Richard Dyke while he attended the home-based daycares," Munro said. Andrew Clements is a former prosecutor who handled child abuse cases in Saskatchewan, including that of Joseph Sproull from Marshall, Sask, about 240 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon. Sproull was convicted of one count of possessing child pornography, two counts of making it and one count of distribution. He was also convicted on two counts each of sexual assault and sexual interference. Sproull was sentenced in February 2025 to 15 years. Clements said that joint sentencing submissions can spare the young victims going to trial. "It's obviously a very traumatic process," he said in an interview. "It's always good to have a joint submission, so to have the Crown and defence reach a resolution together that both parties are satisfied with and, to receive 17 years, like I said, is the highest sentence in the province at this point and appropriately so."
CTV News
14-05-2025
- CTV News
Richard Dyke pleads guilty to 10 charges
WATCH: An Assiniboia man involved with daycares across Sask. has pleaded guilty to multiple historic sex crimes. Sierra D'Souza Butts reports.
CTV News
13-05-2025
- CTV News
Sask. man accused of sexually assaulting 3 boys arrested at daycare
WATCH: RCMP have laid charges against a man in Assiniboia accused of sexually assaulting three boys. Angela Stewart reports. An Assiniboia, Sask. man accused of sexually assaulting three boys under the age of 12 was arrested at a home-based daycare. According to an RCMP news release, the three incidents allegedly occurred during the mid-2010s. The 46-year-old man was taken into custody on Tuesday after police executed a search warrant at a Leeville Drive home. A provincially-licensed daycare was operating inside the home. The man is charged with three counts of sexual assault, three counts of sexual interference, two counts of invitation to sexual touching and three counts of making sexually explicit material available to a person under the age of 16. He's also charged with one count of voyeurism and one count of possessing child pornography. The search and arrest were part of a historical sexual assault investigation, according to RCMP. Download the CTV News app to get breaking news alerts from across Saskatchewan sent to your device Police say the investigation began after Coronach RCMP received a report earlier in November. Police say they are working to determine if there are more alleged victims. The accused made his first appearance in Moose Jaw provincial court on Wednesday morning. According to the courts, he will remain in custody – with his next appearance set for Dec. 14. RCMP did not provide the man's name – citing investigational integrity as well as the privacy of the victims. Saskatchewan's education minister said 'immediate action was taken' to suspend the home-based daycare's license in the wake of the allegations. 'The ministry will be assisting families in finding alternative care where possible,' Jeremy Cockrill said in a statement. According to Cockrill, police-based victim services will be reaching out to families with support, information and referrals.
CTV News
13-05-2025
- CTV News
Sask. police seize 1.5M pieces of evidence, lay 60 more charges in child exploitation case
WATCH: Sask. RCMP laid 60 more charges in a child exploitation case dating back to 2005. Donovan Maess has the details. Sask. police seize 1.5M pieces of evidence, lay 60 more charges in child exploitation case Warning: Some readers may find details in this story disturbing. A historic sexual assault investigation involving a home-based daycare in Saskatchewan has led to the discovery of crimes against children as young as 18 months dating back to 2005, RCMP say. Richard Dyke, 47, was taken into custody in November of 2023 following a report of alleged historical sexual assaults against three male youths under the age of 12. Dyke was arrested after RCMP executed a search warrant at a licensed home-based daycare in Assiniboia, Sask. The daycare was operated by his spouse and based out of Dyke's home, according to police. A total of 24 terabytes worth of electronic device were seized as a result of the search. 'The magnitude of this investigation has proven significant. Investigators have analyzed over 1.5 million pieces of digital evidence,' RCMP Chief Superintendent Ted Munro told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday. 'If you were to take that evidence that we located and spread it out, it would equate to a six storey building.' Since November, RCMP have identified 29 additional victims – all youth between the ages of 18 months and 17 years of age. The majority of the victims were male. The alleged offences occurred as far back as 2005 and continued until November of 2020. Investigators determined that the victims came into contact with Dyke through various relationships. In addition to childcare provided within his residence, RCMP said Dyke 'attended' daycares in Coronach, Swift Current and Assiniboia. Additionally, the communities of Tisdale, Estevan, and Gravelboug were all said to be affected, according to RCMP. The accused also served as an instructor with the Royal Canadian Air Cadets where he primarily interacted with children. However, no victims have been identified in relation to his role with the cadets, according to RCMP. Munro told reporters that Dyke's spouse is cooperating with the investigation. 'At this time, there is no evidence that suggests that the spouse was aware what was taking place,' he explained. The accused has remained in custody since his arrest. On May 13, Dyke was officially charged with the 60 additional counts. They include 14 counts of sexual assault, 14 counts of sexual interference, nine counts of voyeurism and 23 counts of making child pornography. Munro said the investigation is ongoing, and police are still searching for additional victims. 'The whole reason why we're here today is to see if there are other victims,' he told reporters. 'We're sharing Richard Dyke's photo today to encourage those who may have additional information or who believe they or their child may be a victim, to contact their local police.' Due to Dyke's connections with a licensed daycare and the cadets, RCMP has notified Saskatchewan's Ministry of Education, and the Department of National Defence of the investigation. RCMP said it will not be able to share any additional details to protect the privacy of victims and the integrity of the investigation, according to Munro. Dyke is set to make his next appearance in Moose Jaw Provincial Court on June 4. Assiniboia, Sask. is located approximately 180 kilometres southwest of Regina.
