Richard Dyke enters guilty pleas for decades of sexual abuses

By Gordon Edgar

(Content warning: This story contains descriptions of sexual abuse that may upset some readers.)

Richard Dyke appeared in Moose Jaw Provincial Court on Monday afternoon before Judge Brian Hendrickson and, through his lawyer Estes Fonkalsrud, entered guilty pleas for each of the offences he is charged with.

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His intention, communicated by Dyke personally to those in the courtroom, was to bring the matter to a close with the least amount of pain possible for his victims and their families.

A publication ban was imposed by Hendrickson, barring the publication or distribution of any information that might reveal the identities of the victims.

The court appearance was a drawn-out affair before a full audience. Dozens of attendees sat quietly and listened, occasionally weeping, as senior Crown prosecutor Stephen Yusuff slowly and carefully read through an agreed statement of facts. Many of those affected submitted victim impact statements, but these were not read to the court.

Dyke, now 48 and noticeably thinner since being incarcerated, was initially arrested at a home-based daycare in Assiniboia in November of 2023 after a victim’s father reported him to the RCMP.

Police initially believed the incidents took place in the mid-2010s and involved three boys, all under the age of 12 at the time. Upon further investigation, RCMP announced 60 additional charges in May 2024, saying the investigation had identified 29 additional victims.

By Yusuff’s count in court, the number of victims was 33, ranging in age from only a few months old up to 20 years old. Most were boys under the age of 12, although Dyke also victimized girls.

Dyke admitted to starting a child pornography collection in 1997. For decades, he grew that collection by taking advantage of any relationship that gave him access to children, including a home daycare run by his then wife. He installed small, secret cameras in bathrooms and took advantage of moments alone to photograph his victims in pornographic ways.

His crimes included sexually assaulting young boys, as well as showing them pornography and, in some cases, child pornography.

Upon his arrest, Dyke admitted to his crimes and began assisting investigators in identifying each victim, which is why the defense and prosecution said they were relatively confident about the total number. When investigators found child pornography in which the perpetrator could not be clearly identified, Dyke confirmed to police that he was the man in the images.

Accorded to the agreed statement of facts, Dyke did not distribute his collection nor profit from it financially. Fonkalsrud noted that Dyke’s father has been convicted of similar crimes. Dyke refused to confirm whether or not he was abused as a child, only acknowledging his father’s actions.

Dyke sat still and quiet through the proceedings, rarely looking up. Hendrickson gave him the opportunity to read a statement he had prepared, in which he said he accepts full responsibility for his crimes. He said he could not ask for forgiveness, but only hopes that with time his victims and their families will heal from the trauma he inflicted.

Fonkalsrud and Yusuff presented Hendrickson with a joint submission in which they recommended incarceration for a total of 17 years, less time served. Yusuff noted Dyke’s co-operation and his forgoing of trials on any counts as being in his favour, without mitigating the severity of his actions. He said that if Hendrickson accepts the submission, it will be the longest sentence ever imposed in Saskatchewan for sexual crimes against children.

Hendrickson told those present that he would “almost certainly” follow the joint recommendation of 17 years, but said he wanted time to go over all the material that was submitted, including the victim impact statements.

Dyke was remanded in custody until May 21 at 1:30 p.m., when Hendrickson will hand down his sentence.