Cecil Man Found Guilty In Child Sex Assault Trial

The trial for a Cecil Township man accused of sexual assault of a child, among other charges, is over and the jury has returned a unanimous verdict of guilty on all counts.  Ryan Wolstoncroft, 40, allegedly assaulted an 11 year old boy multiple times in 2020 and 2021 in his home. Testimony began with the victim’s mother who laid out the timeline of events once she was informed by police that her son may be in danger. The victim, currently a minor, explained to the jury how Wolstoncroft acted as his caretaker and friend before assaults began. The victim said everything started with just incidents of tickling, but escalated quickly to groping and then Wolstoncroft groping inside the child’s pants. He told of instances where Wolstoncroft would perform oral sex and try and have the victim reciprocate. The victim said that no amount of him saying to stop ever made Wolstoncroft quit the assaults. The victim testified that he would play video games to escape his feelings and Wolstoncroft would make in game purchases and suggest that he should not tell anyone about the events. The victim’s mother was alerted by police after two Allegheny County men confessed to their mothers that they were assaulted by Wolstoncroft 20 years ago. One of the mothers is a mandated reporter and called police because she felt that the victim might be suffering the same treatment her son suffered. She had those fears because the victim’s family and her family belonged to the same church and she was aware that Wolstoncroft and the victim’s mother at one time were romantically linked.  Bail has been revoked and is expected to be sentenced in December, at which time he could face twenty to forty years in prison.