SUNDRE – A Sundre man convicted in a case involving sex crimes against two underage girls has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
Tyson James Dichrow was found guilty in March of sexual contact with a minor, two counts of sexual counsel of a minor, two counts of luring a child, sexual assault, and possession child pornography.
He was sentenced in Calgary provincial court on Nov. 23.
He received six years on the sexual contact charge, six years on one of the counsel charges and one year on the other, one year on each of the luring charges, six years on the sexual assault charge, and one year on the child pornography charge.
Several of the sentences run concurrently, making for a global sentence of eight years.
Dichrow was charged in February 2018 and his trial in Didsbury provincial court began in March 2019 and continued on several subsequent dates, all before Judge Bruce Fraser.
During the trial one of the complainants, who cannot be named, testified she had a sexual relationship with the accused after he contacted her through a social media network in October 2017.
“I told him I was 13 years old,” the girl testified. “He knew I was 13. He knew what grade I was in. He was aware of my age as soon as we started talking (on social media).”
The girl also testified that the accused sent her nude photos of himself.
The second complainant, a 15-year-old girl, testified said she had social media contact with Dichrow in early 2018.
“He would ask me to have intercourse with him,” she said. “He would ask if he could have sex with me.”
She said he sent her sexually explicit videos.
During the trial RCMP Const. Jared Hamilton testified that he started an investigation after receiving information that sexually explicit photos were being electronically shared by local students.
As well as the prison time, Dichrow was also handed a 10-year firearms prohibition and placed on the sex offender registry.
Dichrow’s lawyer, John Hooker, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
