A family is hoping that a paedophile, who plans to move next door to one of his victims, will be driven out by the anger of fellow villagers.

Their comments follow a Home Office minister's voicing concern over the case.

Rhys Hughes, who abused at least ten children over 30 years is due to return to the village of Sonning Common, near Henley on Thames, when he is released on September 14 after serving six years of a ten-year sentence.

He is due to live in a house he bought from the council which is attached to the home of a girl, whose evidence put him in jail.

Villagers have responded by setting up a network of safe houses where children can go for help.

Home Officer minister Alun Michael described the situation as 'appalling', although he stressed he could not comment on individual cases.

He said that over the past year there had been several changes in the law to increase supervision of sex offenders once released from jail, although he said those currently in place would not apply to the Sonning Common case because the conviction was so long ago. Asked if he was uneasy about parents having to set up safe houses for children, he replied: "I feel very uneasy about this problem as a whole but what is absolutely clear is that there's no magic wand that gets rid of it overnight."

The girl's family are currently seeking an injunction which would stop Hughes setting foot on their property or threatening their children. Her mother told the Oxford Mail: "Some days I think I cannot cope with seeing him.

"I feel frightened with the idea of what he might say or do. I did not think he'd come back. From what we've been told he does not feel as if he's done anything wrong."

She said the family had made the decision to stay at their home in the village because their daughter did not want to move.

She said: "She doesn't want to move because her friends and my family all still live in the village. We don't want her to feel she had a part to blame in it."

"She knows so many people that are all dotted about. She knows that if she was to meet him on the street she would know somebody on every single road.

"Because the village is so angry at his coming back, he could come back and not be able to cope with the anger and move out after a couple of weeks. If she cannot cope, we'll move."

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