The sentencing of disgraced former hockey coach Graham James for sexual abuse won't be shown on television.
Judge Catherine Carlson has ruled that live TV cameras won't be allowed in the Winnipeg courtroom during the sentencing Tuesday.
The decision means the wider public won't get a chance to see James, since he has managed to hide his face whenever he has been out in the open.
A media consortium had argued on Friday that people have a right to know what James looks like so they can protect themselves.
CTV, CBC, Global and the Winnipeg Free Press wanted to have two stationary cameras installed in the room to record James, the lawyers and the judge.
James pleaded guilty in December to repeated sexual assaults on two former junior players -- Theo Fleury and Todd Holt -- when they played for him in the Western Hockey League in the 1980s and '90s. Fleury would go on to star in the National Hockey League with the Calgary Flames.
The Crown is seeking a six-year prison sentence. The defence is asking for a conditional sentence with no jail time.
The media, represented by lawyer Bob Sokalski, argued that cameras in court are a natural extension of an open, public judicial system. The case is especially in need of television coverage because James has worked and lived in other jurisdictions such as Saskatchewan and Quebec, he said.
"The public has a right to know who has been convicted and what they look like ... so the public can know and protect themselves," Sokalski said.
James's defence team opposed the idea, arguing pictures of what James looks like now could put him in jeopardy. His lawyer, Evan Roitenberg, said RCMP have told him someone has written a letter threatening to kill James.
"The threat was real, substantial and quite deadly," Roitenberg said. "Mr. James has taken pains to shield his identity. Why? Because of security."
The province also opposed the idea.
Heather Leonoff, a lawyer for the Manitoba government, told court the cameras could prove a threat to the safety of sheriff's officers, clerks and judges. People upset with court decisions could take it out on judges or attorneys when they are out in public, she said.
The presence of cameras would not do anything to educate the public about the justice system, and would instead be "complete voyeurism," Leonoff added.
A rising star in the junior hockey world, James first gained infamy when he pleaded guilty in 1997 to sexually abusing Sheldon Kennedy, who would also go on to play in the NHL.
James served about 18 months of a 3 1/2 year-sentence before he got out of jail in 2000 and dropped out of public view.
