Former Hey Dad! star Robert Hughes is DENIED parole and will remain in jail for child sex offences

Former Hey Dad! star Robert Hughes is DENIED parole and will remain in jail for child sex offences

• Former Hey Dad! star Robert Hughes has his bid for parole rejected by the court
• Hughes was jailed in 2014 for at least six years over a string of child sex offences 
• He was sentenced to spend at least six years in jail when he was convicted
• Eighteen women testified against him including his own niece and a co-star

By Alana Mazzoni and Adam Mccleery For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 05:38 GMT, 12 March 2020 | Updated: 05:39 GMT, 12 March 2020

Convicted child sex offender and former Hey Dad! star Robert Hughes will remain in a New South Wales prison after his bid for parole was denied.

The State Parole Authority on Thursday determined that Hughes ‘presents an unacceptable risk to community safety’.

Hughes was jailed for a maximum of 10 years and nine months in 2014 after a jury found the actor guilty of 10 charges relating to sexual and indecent acts against four young girls in the 1980s and 1990s.

Convicted child sex offender and former Hey Dad! star Robert Hughes’ (pictured) bid for parole has been denied  

Former co-star Sarah Monahan played Hughes’ on-screen daughter (pictured on Hughes’ lap) and said he should not be released until he takes responsibility for his crimes

A 2017 High Court challenge against his conviction was dismissed.

Former co-star Sarah Monahan, who played his onscreen daughter on the hit sitcom, says she and his other victims fear ‘reprisal’ once Hughes is released.

‘Since he has said that we’re horrible people for doing this to him, we don’t know if he’s going to want revenge,’ she told A Current Affair. 

Ms Monahan said she believes Hughes should only be released back into the community if he finally takes responsibility for his crimes. 

‘If he’s going to get out early it should be because he’s admitted guilt,’ she said.  

‘The question is whether he admits he’s guilty, or if he still think he’s the innocent victim here.

‘If he still thinks he’s innocent, then he probably should spend some more time in prison thinking about it.’ 

Eighteen women testified against Hughes, but he was only convicted for the abuse of four of them – including his own niece.

‘Robert Hughes grabbed me, tickled me and touched me inappropriately, including on my breasts and genitals on a number of occasions,’ his niece said during trial.

‘He also exposed himself to me on a number of occasions and touched his genitals in front of me.’

Eighteen women testified against Hughes, including Ms Monahan (pictured), but he was only convicted for the abuse of four of them

One of the four woman Hughes (pictured) was convicted of abusing was his own niece who said he ‘grabbed’ and ‘tickled’ her before touching her ‘inappropriately’ 

During the trial, two women said Hughes had entered their rooms naked during sleepovers with his daughter, and exposed himself or sexually assaulted them as they lay in bed.

Former colleagues who worked on set with the former Hey Dad! star also gave evidence, testifying that Hughes would repeatedly expose himself.

During Hughes’s 2015 sentencing at the Sydney District Court, Judge Peter Zahra said the actor had not expressed remorse.

‘His conduct continued over 20 years. [Even] after he was questioned by police in 1986 it continued,’ he said.

‘The offender took advantage of when he was with victims in social settings in his home or at victims’ homes.

‘He lacks insight into his offending and he is unlikely to access treatment programs.’ 

Hughes denied all the allegations, screaming ‘I’m innocent’ in court when he was found guilty. 

Hughes was originally placed in Goulburn Maximum Security Prison, where authorities had to build a wall to stop him being pelted by faeces thrown by the other inmates. 

It’s understood he has since been moved to Long Bay Correctional Centre.

When he was sentenced to at least six years prison, Hughes (pictured with the cast on the set of Hey Dad!) shouted his innocence in the courtroom before being taken away

 

 

 

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