EUGENE HUGHES FROM GUERNSEY SEEKS EARLY RELEASE DESPITE CHILD SEX OFFENSES

In a development that has sparked outrage and concern, Eugene Hughes, a convicted serial child sex offender from Guernsey, is actively pursuing an early release from prison after serving less than half of his sentence. Hughes, who was sentenced in 2008 to a total of six and a half years behind bars, has now applied for parole once again, following an unsuccessful attempt the previous year. His eligibility for parole is set to be reconsidered in September, a move that has been met with strong condemnation from victims and advocacy groups alike.

One woman, whose life has been profoundly impacted by Hughes’s heinous actions, expressed her outrage at the prospect of his early release. She is 35 years old and shared her pain through the Victim Contact Scheme managed by the Probation Service. “This man completely ruined my life, totally. There isn’t a single area of my life that hasn’t been affected by what he did. He destroyed me,” she stated, emphasizing the deep scars left by Hughes’s abuse.

Hughes’s criminal history dates back to the late 1980s and early 1990s, when he was convicted of multiple counts of indecent assault involving young girls. In September 2008, the Royal Court sentenced the then 80-year-old to six and a half years in prison after he admitted to eight counts of inappropriate contact with girls aged between seven and 14. These offenses spanned from July 1987 to January 1996, and the court heard disturbing details about the nature of his crimes, although some specifics were deemed too graphic for publication.

During the sentencing, Judge Russell Finch described Hughes’s actions as despicable and expressed concern over the social inquiry report, which indicated a high risk of re-offending. The judge remarked that Hughes demonstrated limited awareness of his victims’ suffering and continued to deny any sexual gratification from his abusive acts. “Your attitude is typical of those who commit these sort of offences against children,” Judge Finch stated. To ensure public safety, the court imposed a five-year extension order upon Hughes’s release, stipulating that if he violated certain conditions, he would be returned to prison. The case underscored the severity of Hughes’s crimes and the ongoing threat he posed to society, especially to vulnerable children in Guernsey.