DAVID WICKS FROM SWINDON AND WESTERGATE JAILED FOR SEXUAL ABUSE OF UNDERAGE GIRLS AT WYVERN THEATRE

In August 2018, David Wicks, a former theatre worker from Swindon and now residing in Westergate near Chichester, was sentenced to a decade behind bars for a series of disturbing sexual offenses committed against two vulnerable young girls at the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon. The court heard that Wicks, who served as a stage manager at the prominent town centre venue, exploited his position of authority to groom and abuse the minors over a period spanning from 1995 to 2001.

Prosecutor Pushpanjali Gohil detailed how Wicks initiated his inappropriate conduct when the victims were just 14 years old. The first girl was subjected to multiple instances of sexual assault, including being kissed and molested in the theatre’s dressing rooms, starting around July 1995 and continuing until July 1997. The second girl, whom Wicks also targeted, was abused on more than ten occasions between January 1999 and January 2001, with some of the abuse taking place at his residence.

Gohil emphasized that Wicks’s role as a theatre manager gave him a significant responsibility for the safety and well-being of the children attending the venue. Instead of fulfilling this duty, he used his authority to manipulate and groom the girls, knowing their mental health vulnerabilities. The court was told that Wicks’s actions were a clear example of grooming, where he sought to establish a relationship that he later exploited sexually. Although he claimed that the girls were 16 when the sexual relationship with one of them developed, the evidence and victim testimonies indicated that the abuse began when they were still 14 and 15.

Wicks’s misconduct extended beyond the theatre, as he engaged in a full sexual relationship with one of the victims behind his wife’s back. He maintained that he believed she was 16 at the time, but the court found this claim unconvincing. The prosecution highlighted that Wicks’s behavior showed a woeful lack of remorse and insight, with the judge, Robert Pawson, condemning his minimization of the offenses. The judge pointed out that the law is unequivocal in protecting children from abuse, regardless of the offender’s claims of consent or misunderstanding of age.

During the proceedings, Wicks pleaded guilty to nine counts of indecent assault. The court noted that he had no prior convictions but was dismissed from a previous job in 2014 for gross misconduct related to sexual advances towards an adult female. The judge sentenced him to ten years in prison, emphasizing that Wicks’s assertion that the acts were consensual was entirely unfounded, as children cannot legally consent to sexual activity. Wicks was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life and to comply with a sexual harm prevention order.

Additionally, the case revealed that allegations of Wicks kissing and molesting another underage girl would not be pursued further, and these claims would be left on file along with other denials he made. The court’s decision underscores the severity of his crimes and the breach of trust involved, especially given his role within the theatre community. Wicks’s actions have left lasting psychological scars on his victims, who continue to suffer from the trauma inflicted during those years. The case serves as a stark reminder of the importance of safeguarding minors and the devastating impact of abuse by those in positions of authority.