Gordon Stuckless is living in Hamilton. Chris Young/The Canadian Press
One of Canada’s most prolific child sex offenders has been released from prison.Former minor hockey coach Gordon Stuckless, who sexually abused dozens of boys, was released from jail in mid-December, his lawyer, Ari Goldkind, confirmed to Global News on Tuesday. He now resides at a halfway house in downtown Hamilton.Stuckless’ parole conditions state that he has to report all of his relationships with people who are in close contact with youth. He is also banned from interacting with minors and has to continue undergoing chemical castration.The news follows two decades of on and off court appearances for Stuckless, now 70.Stuckless first pleaded guilty in 1997 to sexually abusing 24 boys while working as a minor hockey coach and doing maintenance at Maple Leaf Gardens, the home rink of Toronto's NHL team at the time, from the mid-‘60s to the mid-‘80s. Following an appeal, the court sentenced Stuckless to six years, minus time served. He was first released on parole in 2001.In 2016, Stuckless was convicted of sexually assaulting an additional 18 boys and was sentenced to six and a half years in jail, minus time served. In June of last year, the Ontario Court of Appeal found the sentence was too lenient and issued a new 10-year sentence, minus time served.“The magnitude of his offending is staggering. The harm that he has caused is incalculable," said Justice Grant Huscroft in the appeal court ruling.Goldkind told CBC News Stuckless is now out on parole because the Parole Board of Canada determined his risk of re-offending is low."Mr. Stuckless, given his chemical castration over the last 20 years, has demonstrated … that he is of little to no risk to reoffend. He's probably done more to fix himself than any other similar offender in Canada," he said.Chemical castration refers to medication—taken in pill form or as injections—that limits testosterone in men. In short, it reduces sexual urges. In 2016, VICE reported that many patients who get chemical castration have sexually abused others, especially children.Follow Anya Zoledziowski on Twitter.
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