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The purpose of this website/ information is to promote public awareness/ protection, help prevent you and those close to you from the potential dangers posed by individuals who have committed sex offences in the past and to deter sex offenders from offending/ re-offending. Any criminal actions taken by persons against the offenders named within this site, may result in arrest and prosecution of those persons.
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The
'MAKO/Files' Online and
MAKO/Files Online WTC are
(The MAKO/Files Online also lists Child Killers and individuals convicted
of other forms of child abuse/NOT only child sexual abuse)
A typical Online
MAKO/File (offenders file) may include the
offenders name,age(2008),photo
where possible,occupation,offence-s committed,sentence received by the court, and last known
location-
(last known location is taken from time of offenders
offence/sentence,unless otherwise stated).
AWARENESS = PREVENTION..
Not only can the MAKO/Files online be used by the Australian PUBLIC to better
protect themselves and their CHILDREN/ families from proven sex offenders,
they have many other benefits, including..
DETERRING
some offenders = yet another form of prevention..
+ being a useful resource
for Australian and overseas Companies-businesses-organisations
to assist with screening potential employees/volunteers etc..
+ a useful resource for media
outlets/journalists/Investigators/researchers etc..
+ a useful method of
constantly lobbying Australian Government/s and politicians to do more to
protect the PUBLIC from sexual predators.
"Tougher sentencing for offenders,greater government
funding for prevention/better victim assistance and public sex offender
registries would be a good foundation to work from."
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State: NSW - Kempsey/South West Rocks Sentence: Sentenced in 1994 to 21 yrs jail- reduced to 19 yrs on appeal-14 yrs non parole. Freed in December 2009 from Silverwater Jail. Offence/Other: Child Killer. Convicted of bashing his girlfriends 6 yr old son (John Ashfield) to death. Hughes and the childs mother, Gunn-Britt Ashfield (AKA- Anjelic Karstrom) bashed John then placed a telephone book to the childs head and repeatedly hit him with a hammer. John died from massive head injuries in hospital the next day. December 2009- Hughes released-to spend 3 months at a corrective services halfway house in Kempsey, NSW. Update (7-1-2012)- Convicted child killer "Austin Allan Hughes", charged with breaching his parole, after he was allegedly found living under another name with a woman and her two children in Kempsey... internet was used by family to find his real identity . Update (News 7-1-2012)- Convicted Nowra child killer Austin Allan Hughes, charged with breaching his parole conditions, has been refused bail in Port Macquarie Local Court. He will be in custody at a remand centre in Kempsey until his video appearance before Magistrate Thomas Hodgson on Monday.-Read more below- |
Pic - Austin Allan Hughes |
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The Kempsey family who unknowingly accepted convicted child killer Austin Allan Hughes into their lives feel ‘‘betrayed and horrified’’ that the murderer was able to blend into their community using a new identity. Hughes, who now goes by Blain Lopez Smith, was arrested and charged with breaching the Child Protection Act on Friday after it was alleged he was living with a woman and her two children at Kempsey. The revelation comes after he was released from prison in December 2009, having served 16 years for the brutal murder of six-year-old Nowra boy John Ashfield in tandem with the boy’s mother, Gunn-Britt Ashfield, in 1993. Yesterday, the Kempsey woman’s mother spoke out about her daughter’s relationship with Hughes, and the family’s horror when they discovered that the sometimes-controlling boyfriend was in fact a violent killer. Speaking through family lawyer Roger Firth, the mother said she was extremely distressed to learn that her young granddaughter and grandson had been exposed to Hughes unwittingly. ‘‘She felt betrayed and she was horrified that he could be in the community and that the children could be exposed to him,’’ Mr Firth, director of Firth, McAlpine and Scott Lawyers, said. ‘‘The thought that they’ve had the grandchildren in that environment [and that] on a number of occasions he has been with the children ... she’s certainly distressed by it. ‘‘She’s amazed that someone could change their name and just blend back into the community like he has.’’ The woman’s mother, who has lived in Kempsey for 20 years and runs her own business, thought Hughes was a very likeable, genuine man when she hired him for a job and eventually introduced him to her daughter. ‘‘He’s quite a personable person, quite a likeable guy,’’ Mr Firth explained. ‘‘She said she considered him a friend and that he ingratiated himself in the family then met her daughter and started going out with her.’’ However, the mother’s suspicions were raised when he avoided giving her information for a criminal background check. Her concerns grew when the family noticed Hughes was always wearing a hat and sunglasses. Conversations between Hughes and other family members also raised alarm bells, particularly after he told them on a number of occasions the woman’s young boy was ‘‘too spoilt and needed disciplining’’. It came to a head when they did an internet search of the terms ‘‘Kempsey’’ and ‘‘killer’’ and came up with a photograph of Hughes and information about his murder conviction. At the time Hughes was holidaying with the woman. It was only when they returned that her family dared show her their findings. Hughes’ victim, John Ashfield, died after a prolonged attack during which he was kicked, punched and shoved into a cold shower before having his head placed on a phone book and repeatedly hit with a hammer. Two of his brothers were forced to jump from a bunk on top of him. Hughes has been living in the Kempsey area since his release from prison in December 2009. At the time, the Member for Oxley, Andrew Stoner, now Deputy Premier, voiced his concerns about releasing the convicted killer into the community. “If the State Government is stupid enough to let this person out early, they can send him elsewhere, he’s the last person Kempsey wants,” Mr Stoner had said. “Using our town as a dumping ground for a convicted child murderer won’t be accepted by the local community - he didn’t come from here and we don’t want him here.” Yesterday, the mother warned that it could happen to anyone, and that people should be alert. She also expressed sympathy for John Ashfield’s family. ‘‘She said she couldn’t imagine how they must be feeling,’’ Mr Firth said. illawarra mercury (10-1-2012) Bree Fuller http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/how-child-killer-austin-allan-hughes-fooled-family/2414485.aspx?storypage=0 |
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Nowra child killer Austin Allan Hughes back behind bars
Convicted Nowra child killer Austin Allan Hughes, charged with breaching his parole conditions, has been refused bail in Port Macquarie Local Court. Hughes, who was arrested in Kempsey on Friday, will appear in court again on Monday, by video link. The 38-year-old was released from Silverwater Correctional Centre in December 2009 after serving 16 years of his 19-year sentence for bashing to death six-year-old John Ashfield during a prolonged attack in his Nowra home. It is alleged that Hughes breached parole conditions by being in the company of a woman and her children for more than 14 consecutive days and that he had failed to record his change of address. During a brief court hearing on Saturday morning, bail was refused after police opposed Hughes’ application. He will be in custody at a remand centre in Kempsey until his video appearance before Magistrate Thomas Hodgson on Monday. John Ashfield was bashed to death by Hughes and the child’s mother Gunn-Britt Ashfield in an horrific attack on August 4, 1993. John was kicked, punched and had his head placed against a phone book which was hit with a hammer. Pleading for mercy, he was also beaten with a curtain rod, shoved into a cold shower and then had his head smashed on the tile wall repeatedly, all of which was witnessed by his four siblings. Three hours after the assault began, he was taken to Shoalhaven Hospital clinically dead. He was revived and sent to Westmead Children’s Hospital, where he later died from brain injuries. Ashfield, who has since changed her name to Angelic Karstrom, was released from jail in August last year after serving 18 years behind bars. Hughes was freed under strict bail conditions, including that he not contact John’s family or visit the Illawarra. He would have to serve at least 12 months’ jail if he breached those conditions. - with Port Macquarie News illawarra mercury (7-1-2012) Michelle Hoctor http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/nowra-child-killer-austin-allan-hughes-back-behind-bars/2412404.aspx |
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A CONVICTED child killer was yesterday charged with breaching his parole, after he was allegedly found living under another name with a woman and her two children. Austin Allan Hughes served 16 years of a 19-year sentence after he and then girlfriend Gunn-Britt Ashfield were convicted of bashing her six-year-old son John to death with a hammer in Nowra in 1993, The Daily Telegraph reported. Hughes' release from jail in December 2009 was under strict conditions. He was arrested about 1pm yesterday and charged with two counts of failing to comply with reporting obligations and was to appear in Port Macquarie Local Court today. Channel 9 reported the tip-off to police came from the sister of the woman Mr Hughes was seeing, after she became suspicious when the 38-year-old refused to have his photo taken and used the internet to discover his real identity. Under the conditions of his parole Mr Hughes was to remain under supervision until his sentence expires in August 2012. He was also banned from contacting John's family or entering the Illawarra, and he was added to the NSW Child Sex Offenders Register. Ms Ashfield was released from jail in August last year. Daily Telegraph 7-1-2012 http://www.news.com.au/national/child-killer-found-living-with-woman-and-children-under-false-name/story-e6frfkvr-1226238609497 |
Gunn-Britt Ashfield expected to get parole in a month
A WOMAN who brutally killed her six-year-old son is expected to be paroled next month after serving 18-years of her 19-year sentence. Gunn-Britt Ashfield and her boyfriend, Austin Hughes, repeatedly hit the young boy with a hammer after he came home from school. John Ashfield was just six-years old and in first grade at Nowra East public school when he died from massive head in juries inflicted by the pair in 1993. In evidence presented to court NSW Supreme court Ashfield, then 25, became enraged because she thought her son had touched his three-year-old sister inappropriately. The pair decided to teach John a lesson and Austin said the boy would not be allowed to "get away with it". He died in Shoalhaven Hospital with more than 100 bruises to the head and body. The Parole Board said by releasing her early Ashfield will subjected to strict parole conditions. If Ashfield had served her full 19 years there would have been no option to impose parole conditions and authorities would not be able to know whereabouts or her behaviour. Ashfield, now known as Angelic Karstrom ,will be electronically monitored, prohibited from residing or visiting the Wollongong and Nowra Local Government Areas. She will also be constantly drug and alcohol tested, must live in a residence approved by the Probation and Parole Service and be subject to curfews and on-going assessment. She is not allowed to contact her co-offender, Austin Allan Hughes. She has been refused parole for four consecutive years, despite being eligible since 2007. The State's Serious Offenders Review Council and the Probation and Parole Service supported her release. A report tendered by the Serious Offenders Review Council states: "Her acknowledgement of her crime has been the most dramatic and important development in the past two years. "It's important that the inmate be tested on conditional liberty." State Parole Authority Director Robert Cosman said the intention to grant parole was based on recommendations that the inmate be monitored in the community. "There was limited opportunity remaining for the release of this offender on conditional liberty," Mr Cosman said. "It's in the public interest for the offender to be monitored under strict supervision rather than release her from custody without restrictions." Austin Hughes was released in December 2009. The SPA has stood the matter over until July 29 for public hearing to allow for the State and registered victims to make submissions The Daily Telegraph (9-6-2011) Mark Morri http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/gun-britt-ashfield-expected-to-get-parole-in-a-month/story-e6freuy9-1226072481380 |
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Melissa Ashfield tells NSW Parole Board hearing into release of Austin Hughes of 16 years reliving brother John's murder
A WOMAN who saw her six-year-old brother beaten to death by his mother and her boyfriend in 1993 says she still has traumatic flashbacks about the killing. Melissa Ashfield was just three years old when she witnessed the murder of her brother John at the family home in Nowra on the NSW south coast. Her mother and her mother's boyfriend Austin Hughes were both jailed for 21 years, with a non-parole period of 14 years, for killing John by putting a telephone book next to his head and beating him repeatedly with a hammer. On Tuesday, John's relatives attended a hearing for Hughes, who is seeking release on parole. Before the NSW Parole Board hearing in Parramatta, Melissa Ashfield recounted the helplessness she felt when she saw Hughes beat her brother with a hammer. "They started hitting him and punching him ... they got my brothers to go on the top bunk and one by one jump on him," she told reporters. At the hearing, John's father's former fiance, Wendy Campbell, read a statement for Melissa Ashfield. "They took him to the bathroom and smashed his head on the tiles," the statement said. "It is very hard every time parole comes up we are forced to bring back the flashbacks. "I will never be able to see my brother, I will never be able to get to know him. "He (Hughes) wants to get out two years early, but I never got those two years with my brother." The board has delayed making a decision on Hughes' parole until December 8. AAP (10-11-2009) http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/melissa-ashfield-tells-nsw-parole-board-hearing-into-release-of-austin-hughes-of-16-years-reliving-brother-johns-murder/story-e6freuzi-1225796139178 |
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The killer story we could not publish until now
IN August 1993, a little boy - John Ashfield, aged 6 - was beaten to death with a hammer to his head. His mother, Gunn-Britt Ashfield, then 25, led the assault; her boyfriend, Austin Allan Hughes, then 20, was a keen participant. According to evidence presented to court in December 1993, Ashfield became enraged when she heard that John, who was in Year 1 at East Nowra primary school on the NSW south coast, touched his three-year-old sister in an inappropriate way. Her boyfriend agreed the boy could not be allowed to "get away with it". He didn't. Less than 24 hours later he died in Shoalhaven Hospital, his tiny body covered in more than 100 bruises from his parents's savage beating -- a beating that ended with Hughes putting the Nowra telephone book against John's head, and hitting him with a hammer. They were each sentenced to 21 years in jail, reduced to 19 years on appeal, with a minimum of 14 years. Next Thursday, 14 years since she beat John to death, his mother, who has changed her name in prison and now calls herself Anjelic Karstrom, will apply for parole. Hughes has also applied for parole. His case will also be heard next Thursday. In 2004, the NSW Parliament passed laws that made it an offence for media outlets to publish the name of a dead child who had been the victim of a crime, no matter what the circumstances. This law prevented The Weekend Australian from printing this story, ostensibly to protect the victim, John. The newspaper's parent company, News Limited, backed by groups including the NSW Homicide Victims Support Group, and the Victims of Crime Assistance League, has lobbied against this law since it was enacted, believing that it protects only the killers from being identified. On Thursday night, the NSW Parliament passed a bill amending the law, making publication permissible in some circumstances, such as if the next of kin agrees. The changes come into effect next Wednesday. John's sister Melissa, 17, does not want her mother released. "I have not seen my mother since I was 11," she said. "The last time I saw her (in prison) I pulled her hair and slapped her. I have flashbacks to what happened. She tried to blame me. She tried to get us to help her bash John. She tried to say that John touched me. He never touched me." Melissa says she remembers the day John was beaten, "clear as anything". When he swang in from school that day, August 5, Hughes confronted him in the kitchen. He told police he kicked John on the bottom with the side of his foot "the way you kick a soccer ball", slapped him around the head and sent him to his room. But that was not the end of it: Ashfield and Hughes decided John needed to be taught a lesson. They went into his bedroom and started beating him. A frenzy soon developed: they punched him with their fists, and beat him with the white aluminium rod that held up a curtain. John was sobbing: "I'm really sorry, don't do this to me, I'm sore, I'm sorry." Hughes mocked him, saying: "You scream like a little girl." When John continued to sob, Hughes took a girl's dress out of the cupboard and shoved it over the crying boy's head, forcing his arms through the sleeves. "He started crying and carrying on," Hughes would later say, in a statement to police. "He was crying: 'Get it off, get it off, I'm not a girl'." Death came slowly: Ashfield would later tell police that Hughes had put the phone book against John's head, and repeatedly beat him with a hammer, until John was limp and dazed, unable to sit up on the bed. When it became apparent that John had lost consciousness, his mother dunked him under a cold shower, then a hot shower. Several hours passed before Ashfield took her son to Shoalhaven Hospital. In the meantime, she told her other children to tell police John had been beaten by a gang of teenagers while walking through a park. Her oldest boy, then aged eight, went on national television to back up the story. In a shaky voice, he said: "We were going to buy milk and bread when four boys said, 'Come here. We want to bash you up'." The story was never going to stack up: John was cold and bleeding from the nostrils when he was airlifted to Westmead hospital in Sydney. Doctor Barry Wilkins would later tell the court he had more than 100 different coloured bruises, suggesting "repeated, non-accidental beating". His small hands were swollen and bruised, which suggested he had "attempted to fend off an assault". He had suffered a very serious brain injury. John died the next day, Friday, August 6, 1993. His mother and her boyfriend were charged with murder shortly afterwards. On the day of John's funeral, his natural father, Brian Ashfield, wailed over the white coffin. Brian is now dead but he told reporters at the time of his son's murder that he had warned the NSW Department of Community Services that his wife was violent, and that she intended to hurt the children. In fact, DoCS had about 35 notifications that all was not well at Ashfield's home. Ashfield asked DoCS to take the kids away from her, saying she "felt violent" towards them. Melissa's life since her brother was killed has been chaotic: she was fostered into the care of DoCS after her mother went to prison but ran away at 11. She bounced around foster homes, and was briefly placed in a nunnery in Grafton, until she fell pregnant at 16, and lost the baby. She admits to "drinking alcohol, doing crazy stuff" to deal with anger and grief but is trying to steady her path. She now lives with her boyfriend, Jason, 33, and is in counselling. John's uncle, Andrew Ashfield, said the law banning publication of John's story had "protected the people who killed him, and the social workers who let it happen". "DoCS knew that she was violent, and knew that she was troubled," he said. "But they didn't take the kids until after she killed one of them." Wendy Campbell, who was Brian's fiance at the time of John's death, wants the case to get media attention because she "promised Brian, if they ever apply for parole, I will be there, and I will stop it". The Australian (30-6-2007) Caroline Overington |
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