Former darts champion Ted Hankey jailed for two years on sexual assault charge

Former darts world champion Ted Hankey has been sentenced to two years in prison after admitting to sexually assaulting a woman.

The 54-year-old appeared at Chester Crown Court on Thursday 12 May where he was sentenced.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.

During the hearing, the court heard how Hankey sexually assaulted a woman at an address in Cheshire in September 2021.

Hankey was unaware that the incident was caught on camera.

During initial questioning, Hankey denied committing the offence. But after being shown video footage, pleaded guilty to sexual assault at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 14 April.

Judge Steven Everett said Hankey would have ‘denied it to the bitter end’, had the attack had not been caught on film.

Following 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 see 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.’

Hankey, whose nickname is The Count, is a two-time BDO world professional darts champion.

He first qualified for the BDO world championship in 1998 and went on to win the event in 2000 and 2009.

In December it was announced that Hankey was withdrawing from the world seniors darts championship, held in February.

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