Graham James’ victims say new charge not surprising

Former victims of Graham James are offering support to the new victim who has come forward.
 
On Monday, it came out that a new charge of sexual assault was being laid on James relating back to his time as a coach for the Swift Current Broncos in the 1990s. 
 
Theo Fleury, a former player in the NHL, told CJME’s Morning Show on Tuesday morning that he wasn’t surprised when more charges came out because pedophiles often have multiple victims.
 
“I forgave Graham James a while ago, and, you know, obviously I moved past that and become this voice for so many that haven’t found their voice yet.”
 
He said it’s a case where there are a lot of people like Graham James out there committing this type of crimes. He called it “the biggest epidemic on the planet”. However, he called the new charges an opportunity to talk about the problem and push for changes in government.
 
Sheldon Kennedy was also a victim of James. He played in the NHL, and is now an advocate for abused children. He started the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre in Calgary.
 
He also spoke to the CJME Morning Show on Tuesday morning.

“It’s still a little bit chilling (hearing about James), but yet my mind goes to making sure that the individual that came forward gets the help they need. Because I think one of the biggest myths out there is that when you tell your story, or come forward to police, it’s over. And it’s not; it’s probably when the people become most vulnerable.”
 
The latest victim came forward in 2013, but the offenses were alleged to have occurred around 20 years earlier. Kennedy said that victims often wait a lot time to come forward because they hope that everything will just suddenly get better, but that doesn’t happen.
 
“I came forward because I was scared of dying, and I knew Graham was hurting other kids when I would see him with the Hitmen when I would see him outside after Flames games, when I was playing with the Flames,” said Kennedy.
 
“I thought that I was the only one this ever happened to, and when I rollerbladed across the country in ’98, I realized soon that I was not the only one. There was thousands of people telling me their stories.”
 
Both Kennedy and Fleury said they’ve reached out to the latest victim who’s come forward.

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