A FORMER world darts champion pleaded guilty to a sex assault on a woman when he appeared before magistrates at Warrington.
Earlier, he had denied the offence – and even when shown video footage of the incident, replied: “No comment.”
But when he eventually appeared at Warrington Magistrates Court Ted Hankey, 54, pleaded guilty.
He was remanded to appear at Chester Crown Court where today he was jailed for two years and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years. The court was told how Hankey had sexually assaulted a woman at an address in Cheshire in September last year. Unbeknown to him, the incident was caught on camera. The victim reported the incident to police and Hankey was arrested the same day.
After the sentencing, Detective Constable Laura Bradshaw, of the Cheshire Police Public Protection Directorate, who led the investigation said: “Firstly I would like to commend the victim for the courage and bravery that she has shown throughout the investigation.
“The evidence she provided proved vital in Hankey’s prosecution and left him with no option but to plead guilty to the charge against him.
“While the victim will never be able to forget what Hankey subjected her to, I do hope that the conclusion of this case provides some closure and enables her to move forward with her life.
“I also hope that this case encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward and report them to us.
“Cheshire Constabulary treats all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously, and any reports will be thoroughly investigated, with the wishes and needs of the victim as our main priority.
“Victims should never feel ashamed to talk about what they have been subjected to. They will receive the help and support they need from our specialist officers, as well as from other support agencies we work alongside, and all victims of sexual offences have the right to anonymity.”
Hankey, from Stoke-on-Trent, was world darts champion twice – in 2000 and 2009.
