WARNING: Graphic details in this story may disturb some readers.
Convicted Maple Leaf Gardens sex offender Gordon Stuckless has been found guilty of two counts of gross indecency. However, he was found not guilty of two counts of buggery.
In April, Stuckless pleaded guilty to 100 charges stemming from the sexual abuse of 18 underage victims between 1965 and 1985, but entered not guilty pleas to the four additional counts.
On Wednesday a judge said that she believed the testimony of victims, noting that it was “consistent and credible” but could not rule beyond a “reasonable doubt" that Stuckless was guilty of buggery.
Buggery in this case is defined as anal penetration.
"Mr. Stuckless has always maintained what he has done. This reflected his position where he has owned up to the horrible acts that he has done but said that he can never plead guilty to the buggery counts. He was found not guilty of that but I can assure you that Mr. Stuckless takes no pleasure in this," Stuckless’s lawyer Ari Goldkind told reporters after the verdict was delivered at the Old City Hall courthouse. "This is not viewed as a win. There are people’s lives who have been ruined forever, so this is not a victory. It is a legal test and a legal decision.”
A former Maple Leaf Gardens usher, Stuckless was previously convicted of assaulting 24 boys between 1969 and 1988.
After serving about two-thirds of his five-year prison sentence, he was released on parole in 2001.
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Goldkind said he has not yet determined what type of sentence he will be seeking for his client but will “vigorously” defend against a dangerous offender designation, should the Crown choose to seek one.
“The ultimate question is what should the penalty be for someone who has been in the community for 13 years as a law abiding citizen,” Goldkind said.
Stuckless's trial was attended by a number of victims, several of whom were present for the verdict.
Outside the courthouse on Wednesday one of Stuckless’s victims said he found some degree of “closure” in the ruling but won’t be satisfied unless Stuckless is declared a dangerous offender and put behind jail for life.
“We need to get him off the streets forever,” Michael McTague told reporters. “He should have been taken off the street a long time ago and he wasn’t.”
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