Who is former darts champion Ted Hankey jailed for sexual assault?
Ted Hankey, who was jailed for two years, was known by the nickname The Earl during his professional darts career.
Former darts world champion Ted Hankey has been jailed after he was caught sexually assaulting a young woman.
The 54-year-old man, who expressed “heartbreak rather than regret”, wiped his tears with a tissue as he was sentenced at Chester Crown Court.
The court heard that the victim of the sexual assault is now panicking and suffering from PTSD.
Who is Ted Hankey?
Ted Hankey, from Stoke-on-Trent, is a professional darts player who dressed up as a vampire and was nicknamed the Earl during his competitive days. His intro track is the 2002 song Be on your way.
Hankey first competed in the British Darts Organization (BDO) world championships in 1998.
He won the prestigious event in 2000 and 2009 and also finished second twice at the Lakeside tournament.
He was known for a number of controversial antics throughout his career.
During the 2008 BDO Championship, he was reprimanded for his behavior after he punched a dart board while becoming irritable with the crowd.
In another match, he was annoyed when he turned on the air conditioner and asked to turn it off because his darts were lighter than his opponent and thought they would be affected. When this is denied, he throws his dart at the board without much effort or thought. His behavior was called “ridiculous” by one commenter at the time.
In 2012, Hankey suffered a mini hit and missed the 2013 PDC World Darts Championship.
Last December, it was announced that Hankey would be withdrawing from the world seniors darts championship, to be held in February.
What is he accused of?
Hankey, a father of three, pleaded guilty in an earlier hearing to sexual assault charges.
The two-time darts world champion has “flatly denied” any wrongdoing and “expressed amazement” at the allegation when he was first arrested.
But he stopped talking and refused to answer any further questions when detectives told him the attack was caught on camera, the court heard.
Judge Steven Everett, Chester Recorder, said Hankey displayed an “arrogant right” when he attacked his victim in Cheshire, on September 10 last year.
Footage of the attack was broadcast to the judge after the court had been notified to the press and members of the public.
The young woman, still traumatized by the attack, could not be named for legal reasons.
Prosecutor Simon Parry said when arrested Hankey “flatly denied any wrongdoing” and said: “Why would I do that?”
The prosecutor said when police told him the incident was caught on camera, Hankey “did not comment further on all questions”.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, the woman said she is currently experiencing constant distress, panic attacks and heart palpitations.
She added: “As a result of this crime, I believe I developed PTSD.
“This crime has had a huge impact on my mental health. I trust men. I find it very difficult to have any physical contact with other people.”
How long has he been in prison?
Hankey, whose wife is now divorced from him, was jailed for two years and ordered to sign a sex offender registry for 10 years.
After sentencing, Judge Everett told him: “I really believe that no one will believe her, until I am shown damnable evidence.
“You have made her an object of your own disgusting and deviant sexual desires.
“Your self-pity over the loss of status and earning power – I’m sure you’ll never play darts on television again.”
Mark Connor, the defense, asked for a suspended prison sentence, saying the offense was “opportunistic”, that Hankey had admitted it and wanted to apologize for his behaviour.
Judge Everett replied: “He would have rejected it to the bitter end if it hadn’t been filmed.”
Crown County Prosecutor Brian Forshaw, a specialist attorney with the Rape and Serious Sexual Assault Unit (RASSO) of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Mersey Cheshire, said: “Crown Prosecution Service and Cheshire Police had damning evidence of this assault and Mr Hankey thankfully pleaded guilty at the early stages. Now he has been convicted.
“CPS would like to thank the victim for her help and courage in prosecuting this case, and we have worked to support her.
“Mr Hankey is now a convicted sex offender and this case may have prevented further violations.”
https://www.nationalworld.com/news/crime/ted-hankey-former-darts-champion-jailed-sexual-assault-3691836 Who is former darts champion Ted Hankey jailed for sexual assault?
