Artical from october 2008.

Artical from october 2008.


THE distraught mum of Croydon footballer Rob Hughes, who was left for dead following a brutal attack in Greece , has this week hit out at some of the country’s top politicians for not doing enough to bring her son’s attackers to justice.

Rob was kicked, stamped and bottled into a coma by thugs outside a nightclub in Malia, on the island of Crete , by a gang of English thugs in June.

He has since returned to the UK after a series of operations, but his mum Margaret has vowed not to rest until those responsible are behind bars.

Now Mrs Hughes has called on British authorities to do as much as possible to make sure the matter is properly investigated in Greece , but she said so far her bid for political backing has been fruitless.

In a strong letter to Conservative Party leader David Cameron, she accused him of lacking “dignity and respect” after he failed to respond to her emails.

And Mrs Hughes is equally unimpressed with prime minister Gordon Brown and Mayor of London Boris Johnson, both of whom have yet to respond to her call for action.

Rob’s attackers are still at large in the UK after returning home thanks to a legal loophole in Greek law.

This week Mrs Hughes told the Advertiser: “I buried the son I knew in Greece .

“The Robbie I’ve got now is different, I’ve got to learn to look after the new Robbie.

“He’s no different in temperament, but his character has changed.

“They (his attackers) ripped so much away from him, just for a seven or eight minute frenzy.”

And she said that until crucial prosecution papers are stamped in Greece , Rob’s attackers will remain at large, a fact she finds infuriating.

Mrs Hughes stated: “If the British government was behind me and they put pressure on the Greek government, I am sure it could be done by tomorrow morning.

“If they were serious about dealing with violence, they would have done something by now.”

She was infuriated when she received a letter from David Cameron’s office stating that the Tory leader could not look into the matter as she does not live in her constituency.

Mrs Hughes believes that unless the British authorities show their mettle in Rob’s case, the number of victims of violence abroad will continue to rise.

Her letter to Mr Cameron stated: “From the beginning all I wanted was to bring my son home then get the thugs back to Greece to face what they did to my son Robert.

“I hear nearly every day that as a country we are going to clamp down on thugs and violence, but I would like to know when are we going to start?

“It’s no good just talking about the problems we have in this country we need to start dealing with them now.”

She said she plans to send a similar letters to the prime minister and the mayor of London , who she also believes have shirked their responsibilities.