Australian actor and sex offender Robert Hughes has been granted parole and will be deported to the UK when he leaves prison.
Hughes, 73, was imprisoned in 2014 after he was found guilty of 10 sexual and indecent assault offences between 1984 and 1990.
The victims of the Hey Dad! actor, who appeared in the sitcom from 1987 to 1994, include a family friend, friends of his daughter, and a child actor who he worked with.
He renounced his Australian citizenship in 2020 and will be allowed to come and live in the UK when he is released – which will be no later than 14 June, parole officials say.
The New South Wales state parole authority has deemed that his risk of reoffending is below average.
He has consistently denied the offences he was convicted of, which prevents him from accessing sex offender treatment programmes while in custody.
“Hughes and [his] wife had given undertakings that once back in the community Hughes would seek treatment with a clinical psychologist specialising in convicted sex offenders who deny their crimes, to assist with his reintegration and reduce his risk of reoffending,” a spokesperson added.
But the authority’s chairman, David Frearson SC, said the authority 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,” he said.
