GEORGE HUGHES SENTENCED IN RUNCORN: VICTIM SPEAKS OUT ON ABUSE AND JUSTICE

In July 2014, a request was made to the Attorney General’s Office to review the leniency of the sentence handed to George Hughes. After careful consideration, the Solicitor General chose not to refer the case to the Court of Appeal for review, as he did not believe the sentence would be increased.

In the same month, emotional reactions emerged as Hughes’s nephew, Marc, from Warrington, publicly revealed that he had been a victim of Hughes's abuse more than ten years prior. Marc, aged 25, waived his right to anonymity to share his story, expressing his deep hatred for his uncle, who was convicted and sentenced to two years in prison at Chester Crown Court for multiple sex offenses.

Hughes, of Langdale Road, pleaded guilty to several charges, including causing or inciting a male under 13 to engage in sexual activity, five counts of making indecent photographs of children, and one charge of possessing an indecent photograph. He was placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years and is under a sexual offences prevention order, which bans him from having unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 16.

Marc claims that Hughes, regarded as a "respected head of the family," used his position to hide his abusive behavior. He recounted that Hughes would invite him to his home under the guise of needing help with a computer, only to sexually abuse him—touching him sexually, showing pornographic films, and walking around naked.

He described feeling too scared to speak out at the time, fearing Hughes’s anger and believing that no one would believe him. "I was scared if I said anything he would do worse things to me, and no one would believe me," Marc said.

The impact of the abuse has been profound. Marc revealed that he struggled to form intimate relationships until his mid-twenties and faced difficulties with typical teenage relationships. He expressed his feelings about Hughes's sentencing, saying, "I don’t think the punishment is enough, for this type of crime. You see people getting four years in prison for stealing from a house. This man got two years for stealing my childhood."