‘Intruder’ Ricky Slater-Dickson criminal past is revealed

THE man who was killed during a bungled burglary had an extensive criminal history and was once jailed for rape.

THE Newcastle man who was killed during a bungled burglary had an extensive criminal history and was once jailed for the rape of a teenage girl.

Ricky Slater-Dickson was convicted for the attack in 2007 and ordered to spend at least four years behind bars, a Fairfax report says.

The 34-year-old died on Sunday, 24 hours after an altercation with Ben Batterham, 33, who found Mr Slater-Dickson in his home during the early hours of Saturday morning.

The sexual assault, that took place in Tamworth, wasn’t the only offence he was convicted for — he has also been convicted for drugs and dishonesty offences.

According to Fairfax, Mr Slater-Dickson arrived at the victim’s house wearing no pants and pushed his way inside her home and raped her. During the attack he threatened to stab her.

He was arrested four months later in October 2007 after DNA taken from the victim matched him. He eventually pleaded guilty to the charge.

Mr Slater-Dickson’s family alluded to his law-breaking after he was killed, when his mother Beryl Dickson said he had “done his time”.

“He might have done his time but he was a good boy. He was dedicated to his family.”

Ms Dickson told the Daily Mail her son had battled an ice addiction in the past and was plagued by personal problems.

“He had problems, family problems in his past,” she said. Those problems extended to drug abuse.

He had only been free in the community since December after he won an appeal against an aggravated break-and-enter conviction because of errors made by the trial judge. That conviction — which had been for four years — was quashed.

Meanwhile thousands of people continue to sign a petition demanding the release of Mr Batterham. This morning the petition had gathered 75,000 signatures.

Murder accused Ben Batterham.

Originally published as ‘Intruder’ Ricky Slater-Dickson criminal past is revealed