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Robert Hughes found guilty of ten child sex offences.

Robert Hughes outside court earlier this year. (Source: Seven News)

 

 

 

 

Warning: This article deals with the issue of child sexual abuse and could be triggering for some readers. 

UPDATE: Robert Hughes has been found guilty of the 11th charge against him – which was reportedly related to exposing himself to a child on the set of Hey Dad!

It’s also been reported that the jury were unable to reach a verdict on the 10th charge against Mr Hughes.

Hey Dad! star Robert Hughes, 65, has now been found guilty of 10 child sex offences.

Yesterday, Mamamia had reported on the first nine charges.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports:

The 65-year-old sat shaking his head and crying in the dock as the jury declared its verdict. He appeared to be saying ‘‘no, no, no’’ over and over. He then closed his eyes in anguish. Just as the jury left, he sprang to his feet, leaned out of the dock and shouted, ‘‘I am innocent!’’

After the jury had left to consider the final two charges, Hughes’ partner Robyn Gardiner walked over to the dock and clasped his hands, the SMH reports. The couple spoke quietly for some minutes, each shedding tears before Ms Gardiner left the building.

Hughes was previously accused of a string of child sex offences against five girls – some of whom were as young as six at the time.

He pleaded not guilty to 11 separate charges regarding indecent and sexual assault related to alleged incidents between 1985 and 1990.

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Robert Hughes with Sarah Monahan, who played Hughes’ youngest on-screen daughter, Jenny.

The witnesses gave detailed descriptions of inside the Hughes family home on Sydney’s north shore during the early 80s. One witness says that she was 14 or 15 when Hughes came into her room and assaulted her on two separate occasions.

She has said Hughes forced her to touch his penis, afterwards saying she was a “good girl” and telling her to go back to sleep.

The allegations have been played out in the media since 2010, when two former cast members went on a prominent current affairs show accusing Robert Hughes of sexual abuse while they worked together on ‘Hey Dad!’. At the time, Hughes strenuously denied the claims.

The allegations gained momentum and other women came forward, with Hughes also denying those claims.

After a two-year investigation, the police arrested him in London, from where he was extradited to Sydney.

Robert Hughes’s sentencing will happen at 10am on Friday May 2nd.

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