Graham James, seen here wearing a scarf and hood to protect his identity outside a Winnipeg courtroom last year, has seen his jail sentenced upped to five years on appeal. (CHRIS PROCAYLO/QMI Agency)
WINNIPEG - Manitoba’s Court of Appeal has ordered that disgraced former junior hockey coach Graham James be sentenced to five years in prison for repeatedly sexually abusing former NHL star Theo Fleury and Todd Holt.
The decision released Friday morning overturns a two-year prison sentence imposed by provincial court Judge Catherine Carlson last year.
The high court ruled the sentence was “clearly unfit” and was owed “no deference.” James pleaded guilty to repeatedly sexually assaulting Fleury and his cousin Todd Holt between 1983 and 1994. He was sentenced last March to two years in prison, four years less than recommended by the Crown.
