Gordon Stuckless speaks for the first time: ‘It hurt me so terribly’
Posted May 28, 2014 5:27 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Gordon Stuckless took the witness stand on Wednesday at his trial and told a Toronto courtroom he was abused by two men.
The first at 11 by his father’s friend, a man he called Jim. And then at 13 when he was working at Maple Leaf Gardens by the equipment manager, George Hanna.
Stuckless faces two counts of buggery and two counts of indecent assault on children from March 1967 to 1970. He is 65 years old now.
He pleaded not guilty to these charges but pleaded guilty to a 100 counts last month that included sex assault on many young boys, but do not include buggery.
Stuckless became emotional and raised his voice to explain why he would never ever anally penetrate a boy.
His own abuse at age 11 at the hands of his father’s friend, a man called Jim was so painful, he would not inflict that pain on any one else, the court heard.
“It hurt me so terribly I would not, I would not bugger anyone. I will not plead guilty!”
Stuckless said, “I had on this stupid mask of Mr. Happy Go Lucky.”
“I was alone more and more alone and kept everything inside. I found trust in the young males and I didn’t trust adults.”
“I guess that’s when I started manipulating them.”
However, the victims of Stuckless, who heard him for the first time in decades, did not buy his story.
“He should be in Hollywood,” says Michael McTague, a victim from the 1990’s, who believes Stuckless can turn his emotions on and off.
Allan Donnan, a former victim, says it’s offensive for Stuckless to claim that being abused led him to his 40 years of abusing boys.
“Stuckless did it for his own pleasure. He had a choice,” Donnan says.
Stuckless will be cross examined by the Crown, Kelly Beale, for the rest of Wednesday.
