Should Lee Hughes be allowed to return to English football?
Ed’s note: For those of you not familiar with the story, read this (2004) and this (2007).
When Lee Hughes left a Coventry pub in November 2003, having allegedly consumed large quantities of alcohol and cocaine – he got behind the wheel of his £100,000 Mercedes, he made a decision akin to pulling a trigger.
The West Bromwich Albion and former Coventry City striker was then involved in a sickening traffic incident, where his vehicle – traveling on the wrong side of a dark Meriden road – hit that of my uncle, Albert Frisby – killing one passenger, and seriously injuring my uncle and one other.
The footballer, leaving the occupants of the other vehicle for dead, fled the scene of the accident, and was not seen for thirty six hours, before he subsequently handed himself in to the Coventry police, having conveniently cleansed his body of the toxicants which would have added a significant period to his imprisonment had they been detected at the scene.
This August Hughes will be released after serving only three years of his paltry six year sentence. He is now courting an offer from Oldham football club, which would see him return to the professional game next season, to start rebuilding his career in the game.
There has been much said about the approach of Oldham Athletic, and the questionable ethics of the people behind this decision, but the upshot of it is that our national game, watched weekly by millions us of, will next season take back to it’s ranks a man who committed a cowardly and deadly crime. He killed and injured innocent people, and then showed his complete lack of compassion by leaving them to die.
Legally of course, the FA could not stop Lee Hughes from returning to the sport, there are all sorts of employment laws which would be broken should his return to work be blocked. And who can blame Oldham? For a League One club, Hughes is an exciting proposition, a player they will sign for free, and pay an average wage could score the goals which take Oldham a step closer to promotion to the Championship.
It is a risk free signing, and should it pay off, could be – financially at least – very rewarding. The fickle nature of football suggests that if Hughes scores a few goals, the Oldham fans will soon be chanting his name from the terraces of Boundary Park.
The shame in this lies again at doorstep of Mr Hughes. When he is released, he should do the decent thing and shy away from the public spotlight, ply his chosen trade abroad should he so wish. The vision of Hughes trotting out at boundary park will bring anger and grief back to those people most affected by his idiocy.
The family of the deceased Mr Graham, and his wife who has also since died. My uncle, who must everyday live with the consequences of what happened, he will live the rest of his life in almost constant pain, and will never walk unaided again. His wife who had to give up work to tend to her husband, and his children who have been so affected by their fathers deteriorating health, and independence.
There are many facets to this story which raise important and unanswered questions.
Why was the sentence so short?
Why, after only serving 3 years is he even being considered for parole? His behavioral record in prison does not make him an obvious candidate for early release.
Why was he allowed to leave a pub full of people who knew he was not fit to drive, and get behind his wheel?
Hughes – people will say – has served his time. The price you pay for killing one person, and seriously injuring at least one other is apparently now 3 years. The British Justice system should be ashamed, because long after this despicable coward is released from prison, there will still be people suffering because of what he did in November 2003.
Here’s to hoping that football fans take longer to forget what this man did that the Board of Oldham Athletic seem to have done, and that they remind him at every opportunity of his failings as a human being.
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Mate, I feel sorry for you and your family uncle. I c\n empathise with your sentiments as well. But Hughes has done his time. Don’t forget he has to leave with himself and what he has done every day of his life till he is no more. Nothing you can do can compare to such a mental prison or make it anyway worse for him than that will be. No matter how many people try to make him not forget what a failure as a human being he is.
Despite this, he deserves another chance at life. It’s not like he is a serial killer. He made a mistake many a fool could have made due to being addicted to the bottle. And being intoxicated then afraid your life is as good as forfeit after, at teh time of the accident he caused, made him act in the inhumane manner he did at the time. Trust me, drunk people act like inhumane bastards at times. And they forever have to leave with the consequences of what they have done afterwards. When they finally sober up. That is why Hughes eventually turned hmself in.
As long as there are guarantees Hughes is no longer addicted to drink. People should let him be and you should let what he did go…as hard as that may be…Becasue I doubt many countries woudle even alow him to ply his trade abroad, with a murder on his police record. And he has to earn a living
I lost my 7 year old adopted, brother to such a fella. But my family and I had to forgive him and move on with our lives. For the fella was sorry for what he did, and had served his time. And a human being can never forget when they commit such a crime. That is more punishment that serving time itself. And that for me is the perfect retributuion in itself. Even though the pain of the loss he casued us might never really totaly go away.
I wish you can find a similar way of moving past such a tragic and terrible thing.
my regards to you sir.
June 4th, 2007 @ 10:56I was deeply moved by this article, but I think it is (quite understandably, I might add) rancour which is leading you to argue in such a light. There exists no legal proviso stating that those who commit such terrible deeds should be refused, on release, the opportunity to exercise their chosen profession. Equally, what sort of penal system obliges ex-criminals to leave the country? What sort of societal reinsertion is that? It would be like refusing a carpenter the right to whittle wood, and forcing him to leave his homeland. It just so happens that Hughes’ career involves a fair amount of media spectacle, but to blame him for this is totally unfair.
If there is an error being made here, I would hasten to agree, it is on the part of the British justice system. They are, after all, the ones who determined his sentence, and they have the chance to prevent his release on parole.
June 4th, 2007 @ 12:39To be honest, I don’t think a person can ever ‘pay the price’ for actions such as this. I also don’t think that if he had stuck around and had willingly accepted a harsher sentence (just by allowing himself to be arrested when he was drunk), that that might have made things better.
I share your feelings of wanting Hughes to repent, but the reality is that that’s not how things happen. People don’t take responsibility for the smallest of things, and this is quite huge. At best we can hope that he carries the marks, the guilt of his actions with him all his life – I think for him, that will be punishment enough.
As far as the justice system is concerned, don’t know if 6 years would have been enough either. My views on the judicial / legal systems are a bit different in that I don’t see the point of long-term incarceration if that’s meant to be corrective punishment (if it’s just to hurt criminals, then by all means, keep em locked up for as long as you want).
Perhaps Hughes should have been more careful. Perhaps he should have stuck around and helped. Perhaps he should have been given a heavier sentence, not given parole, and also asked to cover all costs for the victims’ medical bills.
All I know is that some people genuinely make mistakes and repent for them in their hearts all their lives, while others avoid responsibility. With Hughes we can only hope that it’s the former, and that he chooses to publicly offer support to the victims’ families even after his release – after all, that would be the responsible thing to do.
June 4th, 2007 @ 13:40God i’m really sorry mate i didn’t read about ur uncle.hope he’s ok.After what i just read d baste*** should be in jail forget bout football!
June 4th, 2007 @ 14:07By d way can u please erase d “lol” anricle thanks!
Sorry bout ur uncle
While I empathize with the author, I agree with most of what was said in the first three comments. I can’t see how ruining his life as much as possible will make things any better for the people who suffered from his actions. Also, Ahmed made a very valid point about the fundamental nature of the justice system; the official term, in most developed countries, is no longer prison but penitentiary or corrective facility. Penitentiary coming from the word penitent, with the implication that the objective isn’t solely to punish, but to reform. Of course it is always difficult, and subjective, to determine what about of reform has taken place, or if it has been sufficient, but having said this, I have always been of the opinion that people make mistakes, which generally they recognize and are extremely regretful about, and that because it is human nature to err it should also be societally acceptable to let people, after a reasonable punishment is served, have a second chance.
June 4th, 2007 @ 14:50Stuart, I’m sorry to hear about your family and everybody involved in the accident. I can also emphatise with how you are feeling. I also lost a little brother of 6 years old through something similiar (in this case, the driver, as far as we know, was not even high at the time). Up until today, he has not even tried to apologise or even contact our family. We had to learn though (and it took many a years) that he is responsible for his actions, and we are for ours. Us not forgiving him, is not his action, but ours. He does not suffer because of this grudge, we do. We learnt to forgive…
June 4th, 2007 @ 18:33Everybody deserves a second chance. I forgave the gentleman that took my brother because a tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye cannot solve anything. It can only bring more pain.
A question you might want to ask yourself, if he get punished to go play oversees, will that be sufficient punishment for him to get his ‘debt’ written off? Or should he also lose some loved ones to make it equal?
Karl – a tooth for a tooth may not solve anything, but it feels good.
I do agree though, that we are ultimately responsible for our own actions and emotions, and as a result responsible for our happiness and grief. It’s up to us to cope and accept.
June 4th, 2007 @ 20:21Thanks for the comments guys. I just want to clarify something though, I wouldn’t want to stop Hughes from seeking employment, I’d fight to keep that right which helps to make us the nation we are, where human rights still mean something.
and I don’t blame Oldham for taking him on, and realise the failings of the legal system are widespread and unlikely to change. All I’d like, and I don’t think it’s much to ask, is for Hughes not to become a public figure in this country again, because I know that every-time the victims see him on the TV, they will be re-running that accident over and over again.
It’s a tricky scenario, and theres never going to be a right or wrong answer, it’s just important that people are allowed to have their own views.
June 5th, 2007 @ 00:54He has done the crime now is has done the time just like every one eles. So if a plumber done the same thing should he be aloud to go back to his job. You people just read books and watch the news to much get snap back to reality. Stop dreaming.
July 27th, 2007 @ 00:08Lee Hughes has paid the ultimate price for his offence, I don’t believe he will ever play the same way again – he is not the sort of player that rises to criticism and jaunts, he will feel intimidated by opposition fans and lose his rag resulting in poor performance.
August 5th, 2007 @ 00:42He has lost not only three years of his life, he has lost his shirt at the only club he ever wanted to play for when he was growing up.
I sympathise with your family but Lee has probably been through three years of hell inside not to mention the damage it will have caused to his marriage.
He needs this second chance!
I sympathise Stuart. What happened must be a daily horror for your family and the other victims. But unless Lee Hughes is an utter ghoul, he must be living with constant pain and regret, and that can be as hard to live with as mourning the loss of someone you love.
As has been stated though, if you’re a plumber and are imprisoned, you tend to plumb when you get released. It is unfortunate for your family that football is his profession, and he will no doubt, due to the circumstances probably get even more coverage than he would as maybe a normal Premier League footballer.
Other footballers have returned to the game after prison although the crimes have never been nearly as serious. Tony Adams (various), Duncan Ferguson (assault), Steve Brooker (affray) to name a few. The former two returning to top-flight football.
As for re-offending, I believe that he is now a Muslim so I think drink and cocaine may now be a past memory for him, albeit scant consolation.
As an Oldham fan, it is an exciting prospect but again, as a fan, even if he is succesful, you can never be as proud as you would be of a player, when they have a badly marred past such as his.
I hope for my clubs sake he does return a good player, as before his stupidity he was one of the best forwards outside the Premier League.
He will however only wound the victims further through media coverage for maybe two or three years as he is nearing the end of his career.
His loss must amount to millions of pounds, his wife, any chance of international appearances, the prime of his working football career, the shirt at his beloved club, three years in prison, his reputation.
This isn’t as bad as the pain the victims and yourself suffer, but as punishments go that is quite substantial disregarding the paltry sentence he will serve. That is, as has been stated, no fault of Hughes, but indicative of the poor state of sentencing in this country.
You have my deepest sympathy and best wishes.
August 11th, 2007 @ 16:38Hughes lost 3 years of his life and can’t play for his favourite team! Well fucking diddums! The sentence he has served is nothing compared to the crime. He is a stereotypical footballer who doesn’t give a shit about his actions. He proved that when he disappeared after the accident that HE caused. Sometimes football isn’t more than life or death. Lee Hughes is a disgrace and was never international class.
August 11th, 2007 @ 19:43I feel that Hughes has done his time. He is and idiot and he deserved it. But lets not take away the fact that he has talent and he deserves to have another chance at playing football. I wish good luck to him and your uncle.
August 12th, 2007 @ 02:39Dear Mr Frisby
August 16th, 2007 @ 02:35I just read your article.
Hughes is the worst kind of criminal and coward. Football is a tainted ‘profession’ these days but he represents something far worse.
He should be no kind of role model for anyone, especially children.
I was an Oldham Athletic supporter for many years but I wash my hands of them. I have taken action to cancel any connection with the club.
I believe there is a hidden agenda behind the decision of this football club to sign Hughes that will become evident in time.
You have my best wishes.
HE HAS NOT DONE THE TIME !!!!
August 20th, 2007 @ 18:01It was a six year sentence remember (which in my opinion was much too short anyway).
He can go back to living like a king now while the family of the deceased are still laying flowers on the grave.
Lets hope someone else is driving on the wrong side of the road one day when he’s on the way home from training !
I would not P**s on him if he was on fire – SCUM !
I can see things from a number of perspectives here. Whilst I agree that the judicial system is slack and allows criminals to leave prison much earlier than they should (this goes for all types of crimes) I also can see that there should be some form of remorse shown by Lee Hughes, especially in such a difficult time.
August 20th, 2007 @ 19:11Knowing the situations that both the Frisby family and Graham family are STILL in, over 3 years later – I cannot fully sympathise with the theory that ‘he has served his time’. Both these families are still serving their time, and whilst you can never change the past, you can certainly improve the future. The lawyers and solicitors involved in the wranglings between the Frisby family, Graham family and Lee Hughes, should get their act together and have sorted everything out for these families by now – this is not the case! Lee Hughes needs to stand up and be counted now, and needs to push his side, to ensure that these procedings happen quickly so that both families can truly move on with their lifes (much as Lee has) I’m sure that neither family are bitter, but they just want whats fair and to be in a position where they are potentially struggling financially after over 3 years of continual battle is unjust. Lee – please ensure these families are sorted out so that tghey can move on, and i’m sure that you can then truly move on with your life.
There are a lot of complex issues. It was not an ‘accident’. Hughes knew he’d been drinking and didn’t just drive but drove recklessly.
He is still fighting compensation claims and to my knowledge hasn’t appologised.
He has served his sentence, but should his crime be forgotten and swept under the carpet. I don’t think it should be forgotten. He is free to play but the fans of other clubs and even of Oldham are free to let them know their feelings toward him.
Oldham’s gain is a poisoned chalice which will haunt the ‘family’ club for years to come. The greed of a free striker comes above thoughts of the families involved. He will be paid around £100k a year for his job.
Most folk convicted of similar crime would struggle to find employement after such a crime let alone pick up that sort of a wage.
If hughes wants to face the abuse, so be it he’s free to do so, but don;t defend him and don’t protect him from the verbal abuse he’ll get.
August 22nd, 2007 @ 15:42May i first start by saying how truely sorry I am to hear about your Uncle and the other individuals who were in the car.
As a Doncaster Rovers fan I am disgusted in the fact that we are showing interest in such a person, despite him being an undoubted talent and somebody who could help with our plight against relegation.
I have really struggled with the concept over recent weeks when his name has been mentioned, and have come to the conclusion that it is ultimatley the Courts failing that individuals such as Hughes are allowed to partake an active and full role in our society due to the errational and minimal sentances they give individuals who commit such crimes. For me society has gone far too left wing and are too focused are the wants of the individual rather than the need of society. It a sick world that encourages people to undertake such actions and drug/ drink driving and in my opinion murder without any real threat of proportional punishment.
This said I also know that if we do sign him, and when he scores there is going to be a part of me and many other supporters that feels like a complete hypocrite when he scores and i have to make the decision whether to cheers or not an individual who i despise, but is at the same time part of something that i love. I’ll hate him more for putting me in that position.
I wish you and your family well.
January 6th, 2009 @ 19:56I am also a Doncaster Rovers fan and am disgusted that we are showing interest into such a coward.
I agree that 6 years is not a long enough sentance never mind only serving 3. He doesn’t seem like the sort of person who will live with what he has done on his conscience, driving off and leaving 3 people for dead he surely has no conscience.
If we do sign him I certainly won’t be cheering when he scores. He would be ruining my enjoyment of a game I love knowing what he has done to your family.
January 22nd, 2009 @ 22:43You can’t afford him anyway…
January 26th, 2009 @ 18:29I am a Blackpool fan and we have just signed Lee Hughes. I have mixed feelings about him signing. I feel that the criminal justice system cannot be about revenge nor providing those who have suffered with a resolution to their grief. As a society we need to allow for rehabilitation, no question in my mind. Lee Hughes has done his time which society agreed was his punishment. However, football has a wider responsibilty and that includes role models. He fails on that score.
March 26th, 2009 @ 23:43On balance I wish the man no harm. However, what he did was pure madness. I imagine he knows that. We have to move on. I will not endorse him but accept.
Lets not forget that had this spiteful bastard not kept his pitiful head down for 36hrs so as to ‘cleanse’ certain ‘substances’ the sentence would have been considerably higher!
June 9th, 2009 @ 22:23I feel for you and your family mate i really do this poor excuse of a man should never be allowed to play football again.
And all you cranks coming on here saying “he’s done his time” are talking bollocks he’s a scumbag who left innocent people dyeing in the street like animals! i just hope that some other of lifes lowlifes got to him in the nick and gave him a crack
hughes is a r8 good player
September 19th, 2009 @ 20:37Iam a Torquay united fan and when he comes to plainmoor i will be shouting what i think! Murderer that’s what he is.
October 10th, 2009 @ 14:27I feel for you and the rest of your family and the other people involved and there familys. He should behind bars for life, what a scum and how he can just get back into football makes me sick!
The sentance is a joke! It’s like the plymouth argyle goal keeper killing two kids that scum got eight years,
the courts should see how these poor familys have to carry on while these idiots can play football again and enjoy there lifes. These scums should pay for what they done, the law should be life for a life!
He has no regret what so ever. Tonight at AFC Bournemouth when some of our fans were shouting murderer he clapped and I saw a smile on his face. I totally agree with matt, the scum bag was enjoying himself tonight when instead he should still be behind bars.
November 28th, 2009 @ 19:16This from 2007 http://snipr.com/tgqqm [www_birminghampost_net]
November 28th, 2009 @ 23:08States that Hughes made a public apology and that he’d met the victims family, also that he was doing community work to help others avoid making the mistakes he made.
I agree with the first few posters. Whilst Lee Hughes certainly bears the responsibility for his actions, he does not bear responsibility for his sentence, nor for being released after three years. That’s down to the judicial system.
I too have been the victim of serious crime – not one in which a member of my family lost their life, but certainly one in which my family and I suffered greatly physically, emotionally and financially (I was violently assaulted and my home was destroyed through an arson attack). For me, I have moved on from spending time thinking about my attacker, the person who took so much away. I hope that the writer can also move forward, and know that by letting go, his own life will be infinitely better too.
November 29th, 2009 @ 00:25The man has done his time. He isn’t a serial violent offender like Joey Barton and Marlon King who repeatedly cause physical harm on other people and through sheer luck haven’t killed anyone. Hughes was stupid and cowardly and somebody died as a result of what he did. He didn’t go out intending to hurt anyone.
The scum you see on TV, stealing cars and driving through city centres at 70mph to avoid police and somehow avoid killing somebody are far worse people than Lee Hughes.
Perhaps the Villa and Wolves fans on here, should vent their anger somewhere else ?
How many of you have never answered your mobile phone while driving or ever got in a car when you might be over the limit ? That’s how easy it is to kill someone.
December 3rd, 2009 @ 02:04lee hughes is annoying who should have been given a 25 yr sentence and not a poxy 6 yrs which he only served 3 yrs.
When i was watching Hereford United game we were shouting murderer and he smiled and put two fingers up to us fans i believe people like this should never be allowed to play football again and he is a disgrace to the game. If u kill someone you should never be allowed to play football again and for all of you folks that think he should be allowed to play football you are deluded.
December 25th, 2009 @ 19:50My team, Accrington Stanley, played against Notts County for whom this low-life is now playing. He got plenty of jeers & taunts throughout the game, people have not forgotten what he did but he seems to have done & appears not to give a stuff – he responded as others have said by smiling ,the way he struts around the pitch is galling to say the least. Yes the judicial system got it wrong with that ridiculously short sentence but shame on the clubs who sign him & allow him to parade around as he does – he should never have been allowed back in the game. If he was genuinely sorry for his actions he would have found another way to earn a living.
March 7th, 2010 @ 15:03Firstly, I have only just found this piece, so I must also pass on my condolences to the author and his family. I have long since suspected that footballers live in a different world to the average fan, and this was the final straw.
I’m a Notts County fan, so unfortunately Hughes now plays for my team. Every time he runs out on the field I have mixed emotions, and I will never object to opposing fans chants of ‘murderer’, unlike some of my fellow ‘pies.
However, the fault here is certainly with the government and the Criminal Justice System. To serve three years after his offence is sickening, but it would seem to suggest he was treated as a perpetrator of manslaughter, and not murder. As you quite rightly say, driving in his condition was akin to pulling a trigger. To be released early is another insult.
However, I do not concur with fans blaming their clubs for making signings like this. As much as I would like to say otherwise, if Hughes did not play for Notts he would play for somebody else. It does make me feel sick to the stomach seeing fellow fans do the ‘Hughsie’ dance every time he scores, but it would undoubtedly be other fans if he didn’t ply his trade at Meadow Lane.
It is instead down to the government to change the law to ensure drunked drivers who flee the scene are treated as murderers. Only that way can these overpaid idiots be punished correctly.
My regards, once again.
March 16th, 2010 @ 18:14While the majority of us would consider the sentence given to Lee Hughes to be pathetic, the fact is that if you look at other sentences given for the same crime, most actually fall short of what Lee Hughes received. That isn’t his fault. Nobody gets sent to prison and then says I want to serve more time.
Unfortunately drink driving is still common, despite people automatically losing their licence when caught. If you want to charge Lee Hughes for murder you also have to charge everyone caught over the limit when driving for attempted murder.
You can’t pick and choose which careers ex cons are allowed to pursue just to suit the families of victims. As harsh as that sounds, unless he poses a threat to children or his occupation means he is at greater risk of re-offending, you cannot stop him working.
May 20th, 2010 @ 13:31You idiot fans chanting murderer to someone who is not a murderer, what do you expect him to do ? maybe he should break down and cry on the pitch.He has undoubtedly done a massively silly and selfish act , but who hasnt made a mistake before ? Its just unfortunate that his big mistake has cost somebodies life . Would everyone feel better if he was claiming the dole instead and we were paying for him. My condolences to the family
May 20th, 2010 @ 14:04, but you gotta get on with your lifes now
he should have never played football again he took a life and should have got life no way would he ever play for west brom again , everyone says he should be given a second chance but albert firsby couldnt have a second chance or his family , r.i.p albert . west bromwich albion fan
June 9th, 2010 @ 02:04I disagree with Mike from 4 comments above, and as a Notts fan he should at the very least show a little more respect and thought before passing such moronic comments.
What Lee Hughes did was an wrong, no one here will disagree with that, however the real issue here is in relation to Footballers being given to much money at a young age and not being taught responsibility and discipline. Lee Hughes isnt the first footballer to comit an illegal act or even to have driven drunk, his act of stupidity caused the unfortunate loss of an innocent life but lets face facts here guys, every day hundreds of people are convicted of drunk driving, to accuse Lee Hughes of murder you would have to convict every person driving over the legal limit of alcohol of driving with the intent to kill or attempted manslaughter, how many of you sat here criticising have driven after having a drink because drink driving unfortunately is a common act, its easy to criticise an idiot in the lime light, unfortunately for Lee Hughes he was an easy scapegoat to be made an example of, if you look at other sentences given for similar crimes you will see that Lee Hughes actually received a heavy sentence pro rata to others.
Football is his trade, would you prefer the man not to work at all ? would you prefer to be having the UK tax payer paying him to sit at home ?? or would you prefer him to be out and contributing 20 or 30k tax back into the economy every year which is what he will be doing right now.
It says in the bible that let he who is free of sin cast the first stone, in other words forgive and forget, because part of being human is making mistakes.
August 6th, 2010 @ 22:25With regards to Le Hughes taunting opposition fans, I for one love it when he upsets them, if away fans feel its acceptable to chant Lee Hughes is a murderer, then its also acceptable for the guy to give some back, and if thats doing a little dance after scoring a goal, or waving at the away fans then I for one agree with him, theres worse people out there than Lee Hughes, guilty of far worse who genuinely dont feel sorry for there crimes, perhaps its time to move on and get a life !