‘Violent coward’ jailed for 14 years

By Andy Mitchell

JAIL: Kiernan Hughes-Mason

FORMER player and manager Kiernan Hughes-Mason was branded “a violent coward” by the family of the girl he inflicted life-changing brain injuries on – his then-stepdaughter.

Hughes-Mason, 32, from Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and child cruelty at Basildon Crown Court last month and was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Tuesday.

He had remained in charge of Step 6 Enfield Borough, where officials knew nothing about his crimes, right up until his conviction, playing and scoring the night before the guilty verdicts were passed.

After his sentencing, a statement from the girl’s family detailed how she had been left unable to sit, walk or crawl independently, suffering from epilepsy, sleep disorders, constant pain and an inability to communicate. She now has to be fed through a tube.

Vowing to “ensure that she can live each day to the full as best she can” the family added: “We are thankful that some form of justice has been achieved, however this sentence does not compare to the life sentence our little girl now has.”