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No decision on Robert Hughes parole

NSW Parole Authority has reserved its decision on former Hey Dad! star for one week.

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Former Hey Dad! star Robert Hughes appeared before a hearing of the State Parole Authority in Parramatta today, 8 years into a maximum 10 year, 9 month sentence for child sexual assault offences committed in the 1980s.

In 2014 he was handed a minimum sentence of 6 years and has been eligible for parole since April 2020.

Hughes, 73, appeared via video link, after the Parole authority requested a psychological report about his’risk of reoffending.

A Community Corrections report stated Hughes has consistently been assessed as having a low, or below average risk of committing a further sexual offence, and he therefore remains ineligible for any sex offender programs while in custody.

Judge Frearson noted: “There is nothing available for him in jail.”

Hughes has continually categorically denied his offending and maintains his victims made false allegations for financial gain.

Recntly a dual citizen, he also renounced his Australian citizenship, which would see him returned to the UK upon release, but subject to “notification orders” with monitoring by the British authorities under the Sexual Offences Act.

INTERPOL has confirmed this would be the case, the court was told.

Solicitor Hannah Bruce,  from the Prisoners Legal Service, said his focus upon release would be “maintaining a very low profile and spending the rest of his time in the UK” with his partner former agent Robyn Gardner, and specialist psychological consults.

Former co-star Sarah Monahan, who travelled from the US, attended court and addressed media outside the court.

“On the one hand I’d prefer him to stay in jail where he’s not hurting kids, and on the other hand, it’s like let him go, let him be someone else’s problem and then I don’t have to deal with it anymore,” she said.

“He’s an old man and he’s frail, but they don’t change,” she said.

“He’s a denier, so he still thinks he hasn’t done anything wrong. So he’ll keep doing wrong things.”

Hughes’ sentence is due to expire on January 6, 2025.

The parole panel has reserved its decision for a week.

Source: ABC, Herald Sun

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