Bond was one of a group of complainants who jammed a downtown Toronto courtroom Tuesday as Stuckless, 65, pleaded guilty to 100 new charges stemming from the sexual abuse of 18 victims between 1965 and 1985.
The charges include sexual assault, indecent assault and gross indecency. Stuckless, who was convicted in 1997 of sexually abusing 24 boys inside Maple Leaf Gardens between 1969 and 1988, is pleading not guilty to eight other charges.
According to an agreed statement of facts, the complainants from the latest charges were between ages 8 and 14 when they met Stuckless. The assaults occurred in places such as an arena locker room, car, school washroom, movie theatre, dentist’s office, children’s homes, and, once again, Maple Leaf Gardens.
“It changed my whole life,” Bond, 49, said outside court. “I was a very young age, there was no way I could deal with it. The first thing it did was I never trusted to be with a male adult alone, and here I was having to deal with the world around me after what happened.
“As I got older, I started using drugs and alcohol to ... deal with the pain.”
Gary Kruze, whose brother Martin Kruze blew the lid off the Gardens sex abuse scandal by coming forward in 1997, was on hand Tuesday for Stuckless’s guilty plea.
His brother committed suicide two days after Stuckless was jailed for the Gardens assaults.
“The root of the problem is (Stuckless) is a dangerous perpetrator,” Kruze said, pointing out his brother would have turned 52 on Tuesday. “I feel his spirit is here, and he would be so proud (of those who have come forward).”
Stuckless’ lawyer, Ari Goldkind, insisted his client has remained “law abiding” since being paroled in 2001, and continues to receive “intense counselling and chemical castration.”
The Crown is looking to have Stuckless labelled a dangerous offender, which could see him imprisoned indefinitely.
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