OTTAWA — The mere presence of new criminal allegations against convicted sex offender Graham James means his controversial pardon will likely be revoked, the Canadian Press has learned.
James, a former junior hockey coach, faces nine new counts of sexually abusing players under his influence over a period that stretched from 1979 into the early 1990s.
The charges, filed Wednesday in Winnipeg, involve allegations from three new complainants, including former NHL star Theoren Fleury.
The other two complainants cannot be named due to a publication ban.
James, who pleaded guilty to hundreds of assaults on two teenaged boys in 1997, was quietly pardoned in 2007.
But a spokesperson with the National Parole Board confirms that even the laying of charges of a similar nature against a pardoned individual is enough to revoke a pardon.
James, 58, is believed to be living in Mexico and his Winnipeg lawyer has indicated he is prepared to face any new charges.