Sex assault survivor pans parole for 'monster' Graham James

A man who was abused by Graham James as a youth says his former junior hockey coach is a "master manipulator" and the courts have failed survivors in granting him full parole.

"Graham is a monster,Graham is a psychopath and Graham is a danger in the community," Greg Gilhooly, who says hewas sexually abused by Jamesover a three-year period beginning in the late 1970s, told CBC News.

• Greg Gilhooly'svictim impact statement

James is a convicted sex offender who was serving a seven-year sentence for sexually assaulting young players he coached in the 1990s. He has beenon day parole since Januaryliving in a half-way house in Montreal.

On Thursday, a parole board granted James full parole, stating he has made "observable and measurable progress" during the period he has been on day parole.

At a hearing in Laval, Que., Thursday morning,James said years of therapyhelped him understand that what he did was "horrific" and that he abused his position as a coach.

• Graham James, convicted in junior hockey sex assaults, granted full parole

Gilhooly said he is disappointed but not surprised Graham was granted full parole. When thecase management team came out in support of granting James day parole in January, Gilhooly said he anticipated his former coach would eventually receive full parole.

Parole conditions 'meaningless'

The parole board tied a list of conditions to James'snew freedoms. He isn't to contact anyone under 18, he isn't allowed to communicate with victims or their families and he is prohibited from accepting a job or volunteer work involving minors.

• Victims of Graham James react to new charge against former hockey coach

Gilhooly said the paroleconditionsdon't do enough to ensure the safety of kids and youth.

"Conditions like that are meaningless because they're effectively enforceable only retroactively. In other words, if Graham is found to have been with minors he gets in trouble,but there's nothing proactive to prevent him from being around minors," Gilhooly said.

Every time an offender assaults a child it's akin to murdering that child in terms of what it does to the child after the fact.- Greg Gilhooly

"That's the real problem in dealing with child sexual predators like Graham. It's difficult to determine whether or not they are truly rehabilitated, given that they are fundamentally psychopathic at first instance."

Despite the fact that there is no evidence James re-offendedafter his first release, Gilhoolybelieves James should remain behind bars.

"I believe we over incarcerate so much in our system, yet when it comes to monsters like Graham ...Graham is the type who should be locked up," Gilhooly said.

"Every time an offender assaults a child it's akin to murdering that child in terms of what it does to the child after the fact. We have the phrase 'sexual assault' and people gloss over it. They don't focus on the actual horror that is sexual assault, and it's a horror that is far more difficult after the sexual act itself. It lingers with the victim."

'He is a sham'

Knowing a parole board ruled to grant James full parole makes Gilhooly"embarrassed as a Canadian."

"Our justice system fails us so dramatically when it comes to monsters like Graham," Gilhooly said,adding the charges in his case were stayed.

Gilhooly added that James has never acknowledged what he did to him.

"I'm talking to you as somebody who knows [James]hasn't accepted responsibility for everything he does. So I know that he is a sham, and so I know he remains a serious threat to the communityand somebody who is a master manipulator who is just pulling a fraud over the national parole board."