Former world dart champion, Ted Hankey, was today jailed for two years after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a teenage girl.
Hankey, 54, pinned the young girl down and, with an ‘air of entitlement’, sexually assaulted his victim, Chester Crown Court heard.
The attack occurred in Crewe, Cheshire, on September 10 last year, and the court previously heard that the victim was aged between 16 and 18.
Passing sentence, Judge Steven Everett, Recorder of Chester, said Hankey would have ‘denied it to the bitter end’ if the attack had not been caught on film.
Judge Everett told him: ‘You genuinely believed nobody would believe her, until you were shown the damning evidence.
‘The nature of what you did, the fact that you pinned her down, that air of entitlement… You treated her as an object for your own disgusting and deviant sexual desires.
‘Your self-pity about the loss of status and ability to earn money – I’m sure you will never play darts again on television.’
The footage was played to the judge after the courtroom had been cleared of public and press.
The girl reported the incident to police on Thursday, September 16, and Hankey was arrested the same day.
During questioning, Ted Hankey denied committing the offence, and subsequently answered ‘no comment’ after being shown the video footage. Upon appearing at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, April 14, he pleaded guilty to the sexual assault.
Hankey, whose darts nickname is The Count, was the BDO world champion in 2000 and 2009.
His wife is now divorcing him and his children do not want any contact either, the court heard.
Earlier, Simon Parry, prosecuting the defendant who was listed in court as Edward Hankey, said: ‘He’s better known as Ted Hankey from the fact that he’s a twice winner of the BDO World Darts Championship, in 2000 and 2009.’
Mr Parry said of Hankey’s arrest: ‘He flatly denied any wrongdoing, expressing amazement he had been arrested and did not know why she was saying what she had, saying ‘Why would I do that?”
The prosecutor said that when police told him the incident had been caught on camera, Hankey ‘made no further comment to all questions’.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, the woman said she now suffers continuing distress, panic attacks and heart palpitations.
She added: ‘As a result of this crime I believe I have developed PTSD.
‘This crime has had a major impact on my mental health. I’m very distrusting of males. I find it very difficult to have any physical contact with others.’