Sexual predator Richard John Dyke left trail of young victims across southern Saskatchewan
History of online and hands-on abuse dates back to 1997
Warning: This story contains distressing details of sexual offences against minors.
For almost three decades, Richard John Dyke preyed indiscriminately on children who strayed into his dark orbit.
The 48-year-old husband of a small-town home daycare operator pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexual interference, child pornography and voyeurism charges on May 12 in Moose Jaw, Sask., provincial court. Prosecutor Stephen Yusuff read an agreed statement of facts into the record that day, detailing the abuse against 33 victims. Judge Brian Hendrickson ordered the document sealed moments after Yusuff finished his grim 20-minute presentation to a hushed courtroom.
The narrative described how Dyke took photos of victims with a Samsung camera phone. How he used a camera hidden in a bathroom and wired to his computer to record boys and girls between six months and 17 years old. How he touched and filmed them, introduced them to sex toys and encouraged them to masturbate "to show them what sinning looked like."
Yusuff and defence lawyer Estes Fonkalsrud jointly recommended a 17-year sentence. With credit for time served on remand, Dyke faces a net sentence of just under 15 years. In exchange for the plea, the Crown is staying 73 other charges.
Dyke is scheduled to learn Wednesday whether the judge accepts the sentencing recommendation.
Dyke spoke briefly after pleading guilty.
"We all have choices in life. Some are good choices and some are bad," he said.
"There is no justification to what I did. As I sat in remand and thought of my situation, I've come to the conclusion I'll never try to define why. Searching for a why felt nothing more than uncomfortable justification. Excuses."
A monster surfaces
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 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 offences dated from as far back as 2005 to November 2023.
The victims were located in the Saskatchewan cities and towns of Tisdale, Estevan, Coronach, Assiniboia, Gravelbourg and Swift Current.
Dyke admitted that he began collecting child pornography online in 1997, storing the images on a hard drive seized by police.
Court heard that prior to his 2023 arrest, Dyke had no criminal record. The judge noted that, even though he had no record, his admissions showed "he was, in fact, not a law-abiding citizen."
Fonkalsrud described how Dyke was born in 1977 and that his father had been convicted of similar abuse offences. Dyke declined to talk about whether he had been abused. Dyke had been married for 22 years. His wife left him after his arrest.
Dyke apologized "for lying to her and continuing to live that life for the years we've been together."
He also apologized to "the victims and their families, to my friends, to my parents and siblings, and to my family for the pain and hurt and trauma I've caused because of these crimes."
In addition to the time in prison, he also faces a lifetime firearms prohibition and must provide a DNA sample and be on the national sex offender registry.
If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911. For support in your area, you can look for crisis lines and local services via the Ending Violence Association of Canada database.
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