But, throughout this time, as the pre-sentence report observes: 'One of the major impacts in his life has been the inability to share his huge secret... he feared he would always be alone'.
But they were soon overshadowed by thousands of protesters who flooded a major intersection in the capital, Dhaka, upset by what they said was a lenient sentence of life in prison, which actually means just 14 years in Bangladesh.
Explaining his decision to suspend Wheeler's sentence at Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Thomas said victim impact statements had been a major consideration.