Stuckless apologizes in court to victims of Maple Leaf Gardens abuse

Convicted sex offender Gordon Stuckless leaves a Toronto Court on Friday, March 6, 2015. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press)

TORONTO -- The man at the heart of the Maple Leaf Gardens sex abuse scandal has apologized in court for the lasting harm he caused his young victims.

Gordon Stuckless was instructed to face away from the handful of victims present in a Toronto courtroom where he read his statement during a sentencing hearing on Tuesday.

At least one victim closed his eyes as Stuckless expressed shame and remorse for betraying their trust and taking away their childhood.

Stuckless pleaded guilty in 2014 to 100 charges related to the sexual abuse of 18 boys decades ago.

He was later found guilty of two additional charges of gross indecency linked to two of the 18 victims.

Prosecutors decided earlier this year not to seek to have him designated a dangerous or long-term offender.

But the Crown has argued his history of sexual abuse should be considered "extremely aggravating."

Stuckless previously pleaded guilty in 1997 for sex assaults on 24 boys while he worked as an equipment manager at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens between 1969 and 1988.

He was sentenced to two years less a day in that case, but that was later increased to five years. He was paroled in 2001 after serving two-thirds of his sentence.

Court heard Monday that he was convicted on two other occasions of sex offences against underage boys.