Former junior hockey coach Graham James has been sentenced to two years in prison for sexually assaulting two of his former players.
Manitoba judge Catherine Carlson issued her sentence this morning before a packed court room in Winnipeg. The Crown had been seeking a six-year prison term while Mr. James' lawyer, Evan Roitenberg, wanted a conditional sentence of up to 18 months.
Mr. James pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two of his former players, Todd Holt and his cousin Theo Fleury, who played in the NHL. Mr. James assaulted both hundreds of times over the course of many years while they were teenagers, court was told during a sentencing hearing last month.
“Mr. James's victims are multiple,” Judge Carlson said. “His behaviour was predatory and orchestrated to make victims dependent on him.”
This is Mr. James third conviction for sexually assaulting teenage boys. In 1997, he was sentenced to three and half years for assaulting two other players, including former NHL player Sheldon Kennedy. Mr. James served 20 months before being released on parole. The case involving Mr. Holt and Mr. Fleury arose after his release. Mr. James has also been convicted of a sexual assault dating back to 1971.
Mr. Holt responded immediately with disappointment.
“This sentence today is nothing short of a national travesty because we know that childhood abuse has reached epidemic proportions in our country,” he read from a statement at a news conference in Cochrane, Alta.
“Graham James is laughing all the way back to the life he has always led, knowing that justice for him is but a blip on the radar.”
Judge Carlson acknowledged the significant attention the case garnered and the understandable public outrage it generated.
“There is no sentence this court can impose that will give back to Mr. Holt and Mr. Fleury that which was taken by Mr James,” she said .
She said it's obvious Mr. James had “total control” over the teens he molested, because he threatened to end their promising hockey careers if they said anything.
Aggravating factors were that the victims were under 18 and James abused his position of trust, she said.
“The nature of the assaults were degrading and humiliating to these teenage boys,” Judge Carlson said.
“Mr. James's actions have had a significant long-term and devastating impact on the victims.”
But the judge also pointed out that Mr. James expressed remorse, apologized to his victims and has experienced what she called “an extreme degree of humiliation” — factors that warranted a reduction in his sentence.
She said Mr. James could have fought extradition from Mexico, where he had been living, but voluntarily came back to face the charges. He pleaded guilty and has kept a regular full-time job.
(From Globe and Mail.com)
10 comments:
Hopefully some creep in the big house provides justice. It's obvious our weak-kneed court system can't.
A complete travesty! I can only imagine what Fleury, Kennedy, Holt and others are saying today. Unbelievable!
I hope someone in prison gives him exactly what he is due.
SteveO. I understand your sentiment and I completely agree with it. I can't publish comment though because of the wording.
If this doesn't prove that our justice system is a joke, I don't know what does. Brutal!
Derek
Not even a year per victim. I'm speechless.
JN
The judge in this case should be embarrassed and investigated. This is such a crock of crap. I am disgusted!
The Canadian justice system proves once again what a joke it is.
This scum steals the youth of three hockey players and he gets two years. As a country, we should be sickened about this.
Darren
Hopefully some bemammoth lifer administrates some justice to that creep.
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