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Robert Hughes has been granted parole.
This post deals with sexual assault and might be triggering for some readers.
Disgraced Hey Dad! actor and convicted child sex offender Robert Hughes is set to be deported to the United Kingdom after being granted parole.
The 73-year-old, who continues to deny his crimes in the face of "overwhelming evidence", will be released no later than June 14. Hughes previously had been rejected twice by the NSW State Parole Authority.
But on Thursday it granted him parole, being satisfied his release (after more than eight years behind bars) was in the interests of the safety of the community.
"The offender has been assessed as below-average risk," SPA chairperson David Frearson and four panel members said. "He intends to live with his wife and does not intend to seek employment."
Hughes was jailed in 2014 for 10 years and nine months with a non-parole period of six years, which expired in April 2020. A jury found him guilty of 10 charges relating to sexual and indecent acts perpetrated on four young girls in the 1980s and 1990s. The victims included his former on-screen daughter Sarah Monahan, who attended his third parole hearing.
"He's an old man and he's frail, but they don't change, and he's a denier," Monahan said. "He still thinks he hasn't done anything."
The SPA acknowledged the "profound and deleterious effects on the victims ... continue to this day and will probably be lifelong consequences''.
"It must be particularly galling for the victims to observe the offender's continued and obstinate denials in the face of compelling and overwhelming evidence from multiple witnesses," it said.
Robert Hughes: Australian actor and sex offender to be deported to UK https://t.co/DcIjFIGeb6
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) June 2, 2022
The SPA accepted expert evidence that Hughes has consistently been assessed as a below-average risk of sexually re-offending. This prevented his access to any sex-offender treatment programs while in custody.
But Hughes and his wife had given undertakings that once back in the community he will seek treatment with a clinical psychologist specialising in convicted sex offenders who deny their crimes. This would assist with his reintegration and reduce his risk of re-offending.
The SPA noted the last of his charged offences took place three decades ago.
"The offences took place in particular settings in which the offender abused his power and his position of trust,'' it said. "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."
Hughes, who renounced his Australian citizenship in 2020, will be deported to the UK on his release because he is a non-lawful citizen.
While deportation removes him from the jurisdiction of NSW and any SPA order, Australian Border Force has advised it will notify UK authorities of his imminent return.
He will be monitored by them and subject to "notifications requirements" under the UK Sexual Offences Act.
They include reporting to police within three days of his return to the UK, and to notify them if he intends to stay, for a period of at least 12 hours, at a household where a child is present.
- With AAP.
If this post brings up any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. It doesn’t matter where you live, they will take your call and, if need be, refer you to a service closer to home
New monkeypox cases detected in Australia.
A man in his 50s who recently returned to Sydney from Queensland is the second person to be diagnosed with monkeypox in NSW and the third in Australia. The man developed a mild illness several days after he arrived home. He visited his GP before going to hospital, where tests confirmed he had monkeypox, NSW Health said.
It is the second case detected in NSW and is not connected to the first case, which was reported on May 20. The man is receiving care in hospital.
A man in his 30s tested positive for monkeypox in Victoria after he experienced mild symptoms on May 16. Another man, in his 40s, was found to be infected after returning from Europe. He was reported as a positive case by NSW Health on May 20.
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said the general population did not need to be concerned by the monkeypox virus, which was rare and did not spread easily from person to person.
"NSW Health is providing further information to clinicians across the state today to assist with the identification and management of potential monkeypox cases," Dr Chant said.
"We will continue to work with GPs, hospitals and sexual health services across the state to provide advice on diagnosis and referral."
NSW Health is working with Queensland Health to identify any possible transmission.
"It's important we stay informed and continue to be self-aware when it comes to our health," Community health charity ACON CEO Nicholas Parkhill said. "We know that people in our communities already have strong health-seeking behaviour when it comes to looking after their sexual health so please continue to monitor for symptoms, including for any unusual rashes or lesions."
Parkhill advised that people keep contact details for their sexual contacts, particularly amid the presence of monkeypox.
"The situation is evolving and being able to reach your sexual contacts should the need arises will help stop the spread," Parkhill said.
- With AAP.
The Johnny Depp ‘victory’ headlines are missing one crucial fact.
The Hills stars (and professional reality TV villains) Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt have announced they are expecting their second child after being very open about their fertility struggles.
And Liam Payne has given a wild interview about his former One Direction bandmates and it’s safe to say that many of his (easily disproven) accusations have severely damaged the fandom. But when you look at another scandal that erupted this week, the timing of this interview is very suspicious.
Plus, the verdict for the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial has been announced, and it’s very much come out in favour of Johnny Depp. However, many of those Johnny Depp ‘victory’ headlines are missing one crucial fact when it comes to what this verdict really means.
Listen to The Spill right here:
Depp wins trial, and all the news you need to know this morning.
Morning all,
Yesterday Linda Burney became Australia's first ever Aboriginal woman and the second First Nations person to be sworn in as the Indigenous Australians minister.
We've rounded up everything you need to know about the 65-year-old trailblazer and proud Wiradjuri woman right here.
But first, here are the biggest stories women are talking about today.
1. Johnny Depp wins defamation case against Amber Heard.
Johnny Depp says he "feels at peace" after a jury found he had won his multimillion-dollar US defamation lawsuit against his former wife Amber Heard.
Following six weeks of evidence and roughly 13 hours of deliberation, jurors returned a verdict in favour of Depp today, with the actor awarded compensatory damages of $US10 million and a further $US5 million in punitive damages.
Depp sued the Aquaman star for $US50 million ($A69 million) over the piece, titled: "I spoke up against sexual violence - and faced our culture's wrath. That has to change."
The article does not mention him by name, yet his lawyers said it falsely implied he physically and sexually abused Heard while they were together.
In a statement, Depp, who was not present for the verdict, told fans that "a new chapter has finally begun".
"Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed," he said.
"All in the blink of an eye... And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled... I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that."
Following the verdict, Heard said she was "disappointed with what this verdict means for other women."
"I'm heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband. I'm even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women."
— Amber Heard (@realamberheard) June 1, 2022
2. Coalition set to hold most seats in Senate.
The Coalition is set to have the most senators in the new parliament, as counting for the upper house continues following the election.
Based on current projections, the party will likely pick up three Senate seats in Victoria and South Australia, bringing their expected total to 33 upper house members.
Labor is set to hold 26 seats when the Senate sits in July, with three new faces in Jana Stewart and Linda White from Victoria and Fatima Payman from Western Australia.
As a First Nations woman, I never imagined that this is where I would be today. A Senator for the state of Victoria.
— Senator Jana Stewart (@JanaStewartVIC) May 22, 2022
I grew up believing that governments didn’t have me or others that grew up in similar circumstances to mine, at its heart. 1/3 🧵 #auspol pic.twitter.com/yUDOfrm4Gv
There will be 12 Greens members in the Senate, should the current projections hold, with the party in line to pick up three extra seats.
Based on the current numbers, Labor and the Greens combining for a vote would be able to block proposals from the Coalition, but would not have enough to secure a majority on the Senate floor without the help of a crossbench member.
Of the 76 seats in the Senate, 40 were up for grabs at the May 21election.
3. Aussie Paralympian told she can’t board flight with wheelchair.
Paralympian and disability advocate Karni Liddell has called for airlines to treat wheelchair users "as people" after she was told she couldn't bring her wheelchair on flight.
Liddell was booked to fly with Jetstar from Brisbane to Proserpine in the Whitsundays, where she was speaking at a domestic violence workshop.
However, when she arrived at the airport, she was told her wheelchair, which contains a lithium battery, was not allowed on board despite having a dangerous goods certificate issued by Qantas and Jetstar.
"As soon as this happened I knew I wasn't going to fly," she told 9News.
"After an hour she (the crew member) said 'ma'am you can fly but you can't bring your wheelchair'.
"I said 'it'd be like me telling you to fly and just take your legs off' and she said 'stop being rude to me'."
The Paralympian, who has been previously pulled of flights, said airlines need to improve the way they treat people travelling with wheelchairs.
"I want them to treat us as people and passengers and customers," she told publication. "I have never been treated like a customer."
A Jetstar spokesperson said in a statement the company has personally apologised to Liddell.
4. Cosby faces sex abuse allegations again.
Bill Cosby will again face sex abuse allegations as lawyers give opening statements in a civil trial that is one of the last remaining legal claims against the disgraced comedian.
Lawyers for 64-year-old Judy Huth will on Wednesday outline the evidence they plan to present that Cosby forced her to perform a sex act at the Playboy Mansion in 1975 when she was 16.
The case will hinge on the testimony of Huth, bolstered by photos and other archival exhibits to place the incident in time.
The first civil case to reach trial that accuses Bill Cosby of sexual assault started on Wednesday in Los Angeles. Cosby is being sued by Judy Huth, who asserts that he sexually assaulted her in the 1970s when she was a teenager. https://t.co/BbaIfbKOgL
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 1, 2022
Cosby's lawyers, who say no sexual abuse happened, acknowledge that the 85-year-old comedian took Huth to the Playboy Mansion, as a photo from the visit shows, but they believe she was not a minor when it happened.
The trial is one of the last cases Cosby faces after a Pennsylvania appeals court threw out his criminal sexual assault conviction and freed him from prison 11 months ago.
The Associated Press does not normally name people who say they have been sexually abused, unless they come forward publicly, as Huth has.
5. Hopeful discovery in mission to save koalas.
Koala populations have been detected in the Kosciuszko National Park, which could provide insight into increasing populations of the endangered marsupial.
Male koalas were observed at 14 sites in the park's Byadbo Wilderness Area in surveys conducted in November and February.
"This is good news because, until these recent surveys, there had only been 16 recorded sightings of koalas in Kosciuszko in more than 80 years," said NSW Environment Minister James Griffin.
"This exciting news provides hope that Kosciuszko National Park may be a refuge for this iconic species."
Koalas were listed as endangered last month after a determination from the NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee, which noted habitat loss had significantly affected populations.
NSW has a $193 million Koala Strategy aimed at conserving habitat and further researching the species to prolong its survival as it attempts to double the state's koala population by 2050.
150,000 trees planted on NSW farms create habitat highways for koalas https://t.co/98jPUCIwyv
— ABC Rural (@ABCRural) June 1, 2022
You're all up to speed. We'll be back with more news stories throughout the day.
- With AAP.
The unthinkable decisions Afghan mothers are having to make.
It's been nine months since the Taliban regained full control of Afghanistan, and despite their assurances to the international community that this time around they would be more respectful of women and girls, they are once again repressing half of the population.
New laws and regulations restricting the freedoms, rights and movement of all women and girls continue to be introduced, including most recently a ban on all women from showing their faces in public, including on TV.
The Quicky speaks to a woman who fled Afghanistan with her family about how the country is being gradually destroyed by the Taliban, as we look into how restricted daily life has become for millions of people, and what is being done to stop it.
READ:
- What women were talking about on Wednesday
- What women were talking about on Tuesday
- What women were talking about on Monday
Feature Image: AAP.