Actor and convicted child sex offender Robert Hughes has been granted parole in Australia and will be deported to the UK no later than June 14. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Hughes was known for his lead role on popular sitcom Hey Dad! which aired in over 20 countries.
According to the New South Wales Parole Authority, Hughes has been serving a maximum sentence of 10 years 9 months which began in April 2014. The offenses occurred between 1984 and 1990 and involved four child victims including Sarah Monahan who played his daughter on Hey Dad! Per the Parole Authority, “The tendency evidence revealed sexual misconduct spanning 20 years. The conviction counts were said to be representative of a systematic pattern of sexual abuse upon vulnerable young girls over a number of years.”
Hughes, now 73, is a British national who renounced his Australian citizenship in 2019. He has continued to deny the crimes, but on his third bid for parole, a psychological assessment found Hughes as being “in the below average risk range for sexual offenses.” He has committed to seeking psychological treatment and will have no unsupervised contact with children following his release.
Monahan was present for the third parole hearing and told the Australian Associated Press, “He’s an old man and he’s frail but they don’t change, and he’s a denier. He still thinks he hasn’t done anything.”
In its determination, the Parole Authority wrote that the offenses “took place in particular settings in which the offender abused his power and his position of trust. He no longer enjoys such power or trust, as a direct consequence of the convictions and the consequent widespread adverse publicity, notwithstanding his defiant denials.”