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Gordon Stuckless, Gardens sex abuser, pleads guilty to 100 charges

Gordon Stuckless, Gardens sex abuser, pleads guilty to 100 charges

Convicted pedophile and former Maple Leaf Gardens usher Gordon Stuckless was back in a Toronto court on Tuesday, where he pleaded guilty to 100 charges involving 18 victims.

The charges he pleaded guilty to include indecent assault, sexual assault and gross indecency. They relate to offences that occurred between 1965 and 1985.

Stuckless, 65, who is originally from Newfoundland but has lived in Toronto for decades, was convicted in 1997 of sexually assaulting 24 young boys while working at the Gardens. He was forced back in the spotlight last year when police announced scores of new charges against him.

On Tuesday, Stuckless also pleaded not guilty to several charges, including sexual assault with a weapon and buggery, for which he will face trial.

Ahead of his court appearance, Stuckless’s lawyer, Ari Goldkind, had indicated that Stuckless would plead not guilty to some of the charges.

Goldkind said he is hoping for a similar sentence as the last time for Stuckless, but says he doesn’t want his client labelled as a dangerous offender.

"When you’ve been living in the community … for 13 years, and you haven’t so much as harmed another child, to bring a dangerous offender application in my view is not the appropriate way to go."

Goldkind said that Stuckless has undergone intensive therapy and regularly receives chemical castration injections.