DALE WYCHERLEY SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL ASSAULTS IN HINCKLEY AND LEICESTER

In January 2017, a disturbing case unfolded involving Dale Wycherley, a young man from Hinckley, who engaged in a series of heinous acts targeting vulnerable teenage girls. Wycherley, then 19 years old and currently held at HMP Nottingham, was found guilty of grooming six girls aged between 13 and 15 through online platforms before escalating his crimes to physical sexual assaults.

Wycherley's criminal behavior included encouraging his victims to send him indecent photographs, exchanging inappropriate messages, and ultimately sexually assaulting two of the girls. The assault took place after Wycherley lured the girls to a flat near Hinckley, where he had deliberately locked them inside. The girls, aged 13 and 15, were manipulated into trusting him online before he arranged to meet them in person.

In June of that year, Wycherley made arrangements to meet the two girls he had been chatting with on Facebook. The meeting occurred in a village close to Hinckley, where he further enticed them to buy alcohol. Once at the flat, he subjected the girls to sexual assault, telling them they were locked inside to prevent their escape. The victims managed to report the incident to the police, leading to Wycherley's swift arrest.

Law enforcement officers seized his iPad and mobile phone during the investigation, uncovering indecent images of other victims stored on his devices. The evidence painted a disturbing picture of Wycherley's predatory behavior and exploitation of young girls.

During the court proceedings, a victim impact statement was read aloud by the prosecuting barrister, Philip Gibbs. The 15-year-old girl, who was trapped in the flat during the assault, expressed her profound distress, stating, "I have self-harmed, maybe once a day, and I have made suicide attempts because of the shame of what happened. I’m scared he will hurt other girls who will go through what I am going through." She also shared her ongoing struggles with trust and her fear of men, revealing that it has taken her six months to begin trusting support staff she now lives with.

Another victim impact statement was read by the mother of a 13-year-old girl who had been persuaded by Wycherley to participate in a sexual act while he watched online. The mother expressed deep concern for her daughter's mental health, saying, "I am worried about her mental state. She feels embarrassed and isolated and finds it hard to concentrate. I’m worried she won’t be capable of forming normal relationships. She has become almost housebound."

Wycherley's criminal record includes a guilty plea to multiple charges, including making indecent images of a child, meeting a child following sexual grooming, sexual assault, and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. These offenses spanned from October 2014 to June 2016.

At Leicester Crown Court, Wycherley was sentenced to four years in prison. Additionally, he was ordered to serve an extended three-year period on licence upon release. The court also imposed a lifetime sexual harm prevention order and mandated that Wycherley be registered as a sex offender for life, reflecting the severity of his crimes and the ongoing risk he poses to the community.