Former teacher, businessman sentenced to 7 years for sexual abuse of boys, men

A Brockville judge has sentenced 76-year-old Ron Huck of Rockport, Ont., to seven years in jail for several sex-related crimes, many of which involved minors.

Huck, who was a teacher in the Leeds and Thousand Islands and Ottawa areas, served as chair of the 1000 Islands Community Development Corporation in Brockville before he was charged in 2016 with numerous sex offences against men and boys.

Huck was found guilty of 11 sex-related crimes on July 30, 2019.

On Thursday, Huck was sentenced for those offences, which involved a total of seven male victims. Five of the victims were under the age of 18 at the time of the crimes, which took place between 1964 and 2007. Two of Huck’s victims were boys he taught during his time as a teacher.

The judge described Huck as a man who used his position as a teacher to prey on the most vulnerable, noting that one of the boys he abused was a special education student and the other a student who was going through the child welfare system at the time of Huck’s offences.

“It is obvious Mr. Huck led a double life … one as a respected businessman, the other as a manipulative predator preying on the vulnerable for his own pleasure,” Superior Court Justice John Johnston said on Thursday during his ruling.

Several of Huck’s victims sat in the courtroom during the sentencing. One victim, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban, told Global News he hoped he could finally move on now that Huck is facing jail time.

The defence argued for Huck’s old age to be considered in his sentencing, but on Thursday, Johnston said the man’s age actually worked against him.

“The victims and families have had to live with Mr. Huck’s actions all these years,” Johnston said during sentencing. “Mr. Huck was able to enjoy a full life, seemingly not burdened by his past actions.”

Huck will be serving consecutive sentences for all seven of the victims he was convicted of abusing.