‘Magic’ jailed for sex crime

Two years in jail is the time former sports reporter Ian ‘Magic’ Hughes is to serve for the sex crime of indecent assault on a 13-yearold girl. High Court Justice Keith Thom imposed the sentence yesterday after hearing from Hughes’ lawyer, John Fuller, who was at pains to get him to apologise for his actions. A social inquiry report painted a negative picture of the manner in which Hughes socialises with women.
The court was told that the violation had impacted the young victim so severely, she wanted to end her life and had engaged in self mutilation. In this case, Hughes, who was 50 years old at the time, touched the child’s breasts and tried to force her to kiss him more than once, while they were in his vehicle.
Crown Counsel Rilys Adams earlier confirmed that the prosecution’s case was that the indecent assault occurred on the night of June 12, 2012 when the well known media personality was taking the teen home from a football match. During the week-long trial in December last year, the Court heard that Hughes, who is now 56, offered the child a ride home and he violated her while driving from Gunthorpes to St. John’s.
Hughes had denied all the allegations during his testimony after he swore on the Bible to tell the truth. He said all he did that night was drive the girl home. But the jury did not believe him and found him guilty. The maximum sentence for indecent assault is five years in jail. Under the Sexual Offences Act, indecent assault is described as an offence involving unwanted sexual contact.
Hughes is known across Antigua and Barbuda for his sports news reporting for several media organisations. He is also a known radio personality for commentary on sports and other issues, including politics.