Richard Dyke, 46, has been charged with 60 additional counts of sexual assault and child pornography for incidents dating back to 2005 at daycares in southern Saskatchewan.
Larissa Kurz
Regina Leader-Post
The RCMP has brought an additional 60 charges against an Assiniboia man arrested last fall at a home daycare related to the sexual assault of several children.
Chief superintendent Ted Munro, the officer in charge of criminal operations for Saskatchewan RCMP, said continued investigation led to charges in several “historic sexual assaults” in the Coronach and Estevan area allegedly linked to 46-year-old Richard Dyke.
Dyke was arrested in November after investigation into a reported historical sexual assault of three boys under the age of 12 in the mid-2010s. He was charged with 12 counts of various sexual abuse, voyeurism and child pornography offences.
Munro said further investigation into materials seized during that search warrant has identified an additional 29 victims, for a total of 32 known victims between the ages of 18 months and 17 years old.
“The magnitude of this investigation has proven significant,” said Munro.
Dyke has now been charged with 14 additional counts of sexual assault, 14 counts of sexual interference, 23 counts of making child pornography and nine counts of voyeurism relating to the 29 additional victims.
The Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation Unit, Digital Forensic Services and local RCMP detachments were involved. Forensic officers analyzed “1.5 million pieces of digital evidence” from seized electronic devices, and conducted interviews with victims.
Munro said this includes both “images and video” of pornographic material depicting underage children. Further details will be kept private to protect victims’ identities, but he said “most are male.”
“If you were to take that evidence and print it out, it would equate to a six-storey building,” Munro said.
Victims allegedly “came into contact” with Dyke in a “variety of scenarios” where he attended home-based daycares in Coronach, Assiniboia and Swift Current.
Other “known affected communities” include Tisdale, Estevan and Gravelbourg.
RCMP say the daycares were owned by Dyke’s spouse.
“There is no evidence the spouse was aware of what was taking place, and that person is cooperating with police at this time,” said Munro.
Dyke was an instructor with the Royal Canadian Air Cadets in seven communities across southern Saskatchewan where he “primarily interacted with youth,” though none of the identified victims are “in relation to his role in the air cadets program,” Munro noted.
Investigation is ongoing and RCMP said information is being shared to encourage any other potential victims to come forward.
“Crimes of this nature have a profound impact on victims, their families and the communities in which they occur,” said Munro. “We encourage those who may have additional information, or who believe their child may be a victim, to contact police.”
Dyke has remained in custody since his arrest and is scheduled to appear before Moose Jaw Provincial Court on June 4.
lkurz@postmedia.com
