Former Hey Dad! star Robert Hughes has been faced with new sexual abuse allegations.
The Australian actor, who was accused of molesting former child actor and Hey Dad! co-star Sarah Monahan in 2010, has now been accused of grooming and embarking on an eight-month relationship with a teenage fan.
A woman identified only as 'Michelle' told A Current Affair that Hughes started pursuing her when she was only 15 years old, after she sent him a fan letter saying that she wanted to get into showbiz.
Over the next eight months, 'Michelle' said that Hughes sent and hand-delivered over 12 letters to her home. In the letters, he allegedly asked her personal questions, invited her onto the set ofHey Dad!, asked her for a photograph and her phone number and offered to drive her home.
She revealed that the liaison ended when Hughes assaulted her. "He came in the afternoon when my mum wasn't there," she said. "I met him at the door and he hugged me and [then] stuck his tongue down my throat."
Hughes reportedly then told her: "That's the way a man and a woman greet each other."
'Michelle' continued: "I remember being absolutely repulsed by what happened. He is a despicable human being."
She also said that she has "14 letters showing grooming behaviour" and has made a statement to New South Wales Police.
Hughes has strongly denied all previous allegations made against him.
http://www.digitalspy.com.au
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Fresh abuse claims against former Hey Dad! star Robert Hughes
FORMER Hey Dad! leading man Robert Hughes has faced explosive new allegations he targeted and groomed a teenage fan during a bizarre eight-month relationship.
The woman at the centre of the claims has told A Current Affair Hughes started grooming her after she sent him a fan letter telling him she wanted to get into show business.
``Michelle'', who was 15 at the time, said it sparked an eight-month relationship during which Hughes sent and hand-delivered more than a dozen letters to her home.
She said in his letters, Hughes asked her personal questions, invited her to the popular show and offered to drive her home on several occasions.
He also asked for her phone number and a picture of herself and told her to keep the letters secret.
The claims come after a string of allegations against the 1980s sitcom star from numerous women, including former young cast members.
Hughes' former child actor co-star Sarah Monahan shocked the TV industry in 2010 when she claimed he molested her on the set of the long-running sitcom.
Last year Hughes' niece also claimed she was molested by the actor numerous times before the age of 10.
Michelle said the relationship ended after Hughes turned up at her house and assaulted her.
``He came in the afternoon when my mum wasn't there, my mum had just bought a piano and he came on the guise that he was going to tune my piano,'' she said.
``I met him at the door and he hugged me and (then) stuck his tongue down my throat.
``I remember being absolutely repulsed by what happened.''
Michelle said after the incident Hughes told her ``that's the way a man and a woman greet each other''.
``He is a despicable human being,'' she said.
``I have 14 letters showing grooming behaviour from a 40-odd year old man to a school kid ... it's unfathomable."
Hughes, who now lives in Singapore, has emphatically denied previous accusations of sexual abuse, which have yet to be proven.
But another former cast member, Ben Oxenbould, has told how he confronted Hughes after witnessing him touch a female guest under the age of 10 on the chest on the set.
He also accused Hey Dad! producers of a cover-up, saying he was intimidated by executives into keeping quiet and told it was a ``lesson in professionalism''.
Michelle said she had made a statement to NSW Police who are investigating.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
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