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Graham James is seen in a Stony Mountain Institution mug shot acquired by the Winnipeg Free Press.HO/The Canadian Press

The prosecution in the Graham James case returns to court in Winnipeg this morning to try to appeal the two-year sentence the former hockey coach was handed for sexual abuse.

Mr. James was convicted of sexually abusing two of his former players – NHL star Theo Fleury and his younger cousin Todd Holt – in the 1980s when the two were teenagers.

The Crown is asking for a six-year sentence, arguing the judge put too much stock in prior sentencing decisions for similar offences.

If the Crown isn't successful in its appeal, James `will be eligible for statutory release next July.

Back in 1997, Mr. James was sentenced to 3 1/2 years for molesting former NHLer Sheldon Kennedy and two other players.

He finished serving that sentence in 2000.

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