ROBERT HUGHES FROM HOLBEACH SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENSES IN SPALDING

In December 2012, Robert Hughes, a resident of Holbeach, was handed an eight-month jail sentence which was suspended for two years, accompanied by a two-year supervision order. Additionally, Hughes was mandated to participate in a community sex offender group work program and was placed on the sex offenders’ register for a period of five years.

Earlier, in November 2012, authorities uncovered a disturbing cache of indecent images belonging to Hughes, a 72-year-old man from Holbeach. Police executed a search at his residence on Oakwood Glade, where they discovered a total of 499 indecent images depicting children. The collection included five images classified in the most severe category, which involves acts of sadism or penetration involving animals. Furthermore, there were approximately 100 images categorized as level four, illustrating penetrative sexual acts involving children or both children and adults.

The images, stored on a computer tower and DVDs, depicted children as young as five and six years old engaged in sexual acts. The material included both boys and girls, with some children appearing to be as young as five years old. The disturbing nature of these images prompted immediate police action. Hughes was charged with multiple offenses related to the possession and creation of indecent photographs of children. He appeared before Spalding Magistrates’ Court on a Thursday, where he pleaded guilty to eight charges.

Prosecutor Edward Johnson explained that police responded to the case following information received from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre. He noted that sentencing guidelines recommend a prison term ranging from four to 18 months for such offenses. Johnson also highlighted that the ages of the children involved served as an aggravating factor in the case.

During the court proceedings, Magistrate Sally Ruttley expressed her concern over the severity of the crimes. She stated, “We feel these matters are too serious for us to be able to sentence you for these offences so we will commit you to the crown court for sentence.” Hughes was granted bail under the condition that he must have no unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 16. When asked if he understood these conditions, Hughes responded affirmatively, saying, “Yes I do. Yes.”

Hughes is scheduled to appear at the Crown Court on a date to be notified, where a more severe sentence may be imposed given the gravity of the offenses committed in Holbeach and the surrounding areas.