TORONTO — Prosecutors are appealing the sentence for the man at the heart of the Maple Leaf Gardens sex abuse scandal.
The Crown has filed a notice of appeal in the case of Gordon Stuckless, who was sentenced last month to 6.5 years in prison for sexually abusing 18 boys decades ago.
Stuckless, 67, was given credit of six months for time served under house arrest, which means he will spend six years behind bars.
The ruling angered many of his victims, who said they have suffered much longer as a result of his actions.
Stuckless pleaded guilty two years ago to 100 charges related to the sexual abuse of the 18 victims, now in their 40s and 50s.
He was also convicted of two additional charges of gross indecency linked to two of the victims.
The Crown has the right to appeal a sentence but such appeals are "very limited because appeal courts will not usually interfere with the trial judge's decision on sentencing," the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General says on its website.
"When asked to review the sentence, the appeal court will consider whether or not the sentence is fair. The appeal court will look at the nature of the crime, the impact of the crime on the victim, the background of the offender and the sentences imposed in similar cases."
