Man behind Maple Leaf Gardens sex abuse scandal should receive 12 years behind bars, prosecutors say

TORONTO -- Prosecutors say the man at the heart of the Maple Leaf Gardens sex abuse scandal should spend 12 years behind bars for the trauma he inflicted on his young victims.

The Crown says Gordon Stuckless betrayed the trust of young boys he befriended and then abused, leaving them with lifelong emotional scars.

Crown attorney Kelly Beale called him a "prolific serial pedophile" whose actions turned his victims into "very damaged men."

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 Beale said his history of sexual abuse should be considered "extremely aggravating."

"There is no other offender known in Canadian law that parallels Gordon Stuckless's crimes," she said Monday in her sentencing submissions.

Stuckless, who is currently on house arrest, had the conditions of his bail modified earlier Monday after the Crown noticed he was in violation of them.

Under the terms of his bail, Stuckless cannot leave his home unless accompanied by his brother, who is acting as surety.

But Beale pointed out Monday that he has been appearing in court without his brother.

Court heard Stuckless was advised by his lawyer that he would not be breaching his bail conditions by doing so, but Ontario Court Justice Mara Greene said that was "wrong."

As a result, the conditions have been changed to allow Stuckless to travel to court without his brother, who court heard is in poor health.

Stuckless previously pleaded guilty in 1997 for sex assaults on 24 boys while he worked 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.