Theo Fleury helped change society's view of child sex abuse victims

Child molesters typically teach their victims to keep quiet, either through threats or rewards, and that silence often carries on into adulthood.

Victims commonly carry around recollection of their abuse like a deep, dark secret for decades, feeling alone and afraid and using drugs and alcohol to bury their memories while struggling with trust and mental health issues.

Recently, 17 such alleged victims stepped forward, one after another, charging they, too, were molested 30 years ago by the Monster of Maple Leaf Gardens.

The latest accusations of sexual abuse against Gordon Stuckless - a serial pedophile convicted in 1997 of molesting 24 boys while an equipment manager at the Gardens - prompted Toronto and York Region cops to arrest him five times in the last three months on a slew of new charges.

Those charges, while not yet proven in court, potentially amount to another 17 childhoods stolen and shattered. (more...)

Theo Fleury helped change society's view of child sex abuse victims