By Ashley Wills

Victim Todd Holt talks about being abused by Graham James

Feb 29, 2012 | 5:51 AM

For the first time last week Canadians heard the name of the third victim in the latest court case against pedophile Graham James.

Todd Holt gave an emotional victim impact statement at the Winnipeg trial last week and on Tuesday he spoke with News Talk Radio’s John Gormley.

He described all of the things the former hockey coach took away from him as a young boy during repeated sexual assaults.

“My ability to trust, my ability to love – my ability to act as a human being was really affected,” Holt said.

At the age of 16 when the abuse started while he was playing for the Swift Current Broncos, Holt was going to tell his family he wanted to quit hockey but he couldn’t bring himself to do it because they were happy and proud of him.

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It was a long road that brought him to where he is today — able to face the truth about what happened to him. He filed an official complaint against James in 2010 in Calgary, around the same time his cousin, former NHL star Theoren Fleury approached the Winnipeg Police Service with another complaint.

His journey included a long struggle with alcoholism and he explained that now he has been sober for three years.

“When you get to a little bit of a clearing, when you get your feet underneath you, all those tears and all that pain that it took to get there is worth every ounce,” he said.

Holt wants other victims of sexual abuse to know that they can speak out and they will be safe.

news@panow.com

by Ashley Wills

Victim Todd Holt talks about being abused by Graham James

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