Sitcom actor convicted of child sex offences to be deported to UK after Australia grants parole

Hey Dad! star, 73, was imprisoned in 2014 after being found guilty of 10 sexual and indecent assault offences

Robert Hughes appears in court in 2014 (Getty Images)

Actor and convicted child sex offender Robert Hughes has been granted parole in Australia and will be deported to the UK.

Hughes, 73, was imprisoned in 2014 after being found guilty of 10 sexual and indecent assault offences committed between 1984 and 1990.

He will be deported to the UK on his release from prison as he is a non-lawful citizen in Australia, having renounced his Australian citizenship in 2020.

Hughes starred in the lead role in the Australian sitcom Hey Dad!, which aired from 1987 to 1994, and also acted extensively in theatre and film.

His victims include a family friend, friends of his daughter and a child actor who worked with him.

The New South Wales state parole authority said it had accepted evidence Hughes had consistently been assessed as a below average risk of sexually reoffending.

It said that, although Hughes denies the offences, the assessment prevents him from accessing sex offender treatment programmes while he remains in custody.

“Hughes and 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,” it added.

The parole authority chairperson, 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 added.

He will be released no later than 14 June.