HEROIN ADDICT WHO TORTURED CHILDREN JAILED FOR FOUR YEARS

A heroin addict who pulled off all the finger and toe-nails of a
four-year-old girl has been jailed for four years at Dublin Circuit Criminal
Court.

Robert Hughes also used a Swiss army knife to pull out the toe-nail of a
six-month-old baby.

Hughes beat the four-year-old when she screamed in pain. He later told
gardai his head was "wrecked" with heroin at the time. He believed his
actions were "disgusting" and wanted to commit suicide afterwards.

Prosecuting counsel Fergal Foley BL said the assaults were "truly horrendous
and absolutely appalling". He apologised to Judge Dominic Lynch for having
to show him photographs of the injured girls.

Hughes (24) of Sheepmoor Gardens, Clonsilla, Dublin 15, pleaded guilty to
two counts of assault causing serious harm at his home on March 12, 1998.

Sgt Eugene O'Sullivan said Hughes had had a relationship with the girls'
mother since 1996 and he was the father of the six-month-old baby.

The girls' mother returned from England to attend her brother's funeral in
March 1998. Hughes agreed to babysit the girls at his home in Clonsilla
where he lived with his parents.

Hughes said in a statement that he injected two IEP20 deals of heroin and
returned to the house. He put the four-year-old in his bed and the
six-month-old in a pram in the corner. He talked to the four-year-old about
England and asked her to put out her hand because her fingernails were too long.

He was unable to bite off one of her fingernails with his teeth and then
started to pull them all out with a Swiss army knife. "I held the blade to
the side of the nails and I just pulled them back. She kept pulling back her
hand and complaining that it hurt her but I continued."

He then lifted back the bedclothes and pulled off all her toenails. Later,
he pulled a toenail off the six-month-old baby while she screamed. Hughes
said he tried to stop the four-year-old from bleeding and she started to
cry. He told her he would kill her if she didn't shut up and hit her.

Sgt O'Sullivan said Hughes left the house next morning to continue his work
distributing leaflets. The girls were discovered by Hughes' mother. She took
them to Temple Street Children's Hospital where a doctor reported their
injuries to the gardai.

An aunt of the two girls said they had nightmares for months after the attacks.

Hughes told the court he had been on heroin for 18 months before the
assaults. "I can't explain what happened, I just cut them, I didn't realise
what I was doing."

Asked by defence counsel Aidan Walsh SC what he had to say to the girls, he
replied: "I don't think there are words I would be able to say."

Cross-examined by Mr Foley, he agreed that he told one of them not to tell
anyone but denied this indicated he was in control of his actions.

Judge Lynch recommended Hughes be given help to end his heroin