Back in the 1980's one of the most popular shows in Australia was Hey Dad. The star of the show was Robert Hughes who played the dad. This week Sarah Monahan, who played Hughes' daughter, said that for years on the show she was fondled and also that the man she would not identify also repeatedly exposed himself to her.
Since her claims were first made public, other cast members who were children at the time also said they were molested and they named Robert Hughes as the person who did the molesting. One cast member said he remembers once when he saw Robert Hughes fondle Monahan and that he immediately grabbed her and took her out of the situation. The actor said that when he told producers about Hughes' improper behavior, he was told to be quiet about it and that his silence was a "lesson in professionalism."
It's rare for people to go public with this, but it happens in the US too. More often than not though, the women are older than 10. Generally in their teens and they will end up having sex with the molester but keep quiet.
For his part, Hughes denies any of this ever happened.
omg...a pedophile getting away w/ this...poor kids. so glad someone was brave enough to come forward...better late than never. i hope they're pressing formal charges.
ReplyDeleteThe Producers should also be prosecuted for this since they are as much responsible for letting it happen.
ReplyDeleteTerrible. I really hate Pedophiles and wish there was a law where they were stoned to death by the kids they molested/or their parents. I hope there is no statute of limitations which bars this man from being charged. Kudos to the kids who came forward. I know how hard that must have been.
ReplyDeleteAnd HOW in the world could someone (the producers) standby and allow that to happen. They should be charged too.
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable and yet too believable.
ReplyDeleteThose who knew about it and did nothing, even putting pressure on everyone to keep quiet, ought to be named, shamed and prosecuted, along with the pedophile.
ReplyDeleteSomeone in the office tells me that the pig is living in Singapore now (gee, I wonder why). Apparently he hasn't worked much in ten years. Sounds like he got shunned out of the business ... unfortunately now children in Singapore are at risk.
ReplyDeleteAgree with Sylvia and Shmooey.
ReplyDeleteLiving in Singapore now?? Ugh. That's just a step up from Thailand for pedophiles, isn't it?
Hey Dan?
ReplyDeleteThis is Karma.
I think you hear me knocking - and I think I'm coming in. Grab those ankles fat boy, this one's gonna sting. BAKE THIS!!
I have a feeling this happens here on networks like Disney and Nickeloden, too. There was a lot of talk back when Jamie Lynn Spears got pregnant that the father was actually one of the middle-aged, married producers of her show. And look at Lindsay, you can't tell me she isn't an adult "survivor" of molestation.
ReplyDeleteUrgh, this makes me feel utterly sick. I can't believe producers allowed a little girl to live in hell to protect the success of a (really awful) sitcom. By the way, that's not Sarah in the picture, it's another actress in the same role toward the end of the show's run.
ReplyDeleteIn the video footage of Hughes' denial, he is utterly unconvincing - a terrible liar. I hope he can be thrown in jail for this. I dread to think of his activities in Singapore.
@RJ I have thought that about Lindsay too, she just seems so haunted and desperate.
I never watched that show because the Dad was so creepy! It's amazing, even as a kid you can sense who to stay away from. Even when they're on TV!
ReplyDeleteAccording to IMDB Sarah Monahan joined the show at TEN (sorry for screaming but you can imagine how I feel) and left at sixteen (several years before the end of the series). Way too young to have to put up with this!
ReplyDeleteAgreed that the producers who covered it up should also be prosecuted. They all need to be put in jail to rot.
ReplyDelete