New Allegations Surface About Alleged Internet Pedophile

He’s a soccer coach in Mississauga.

But is he a pedophile who sexually assaulted a seven-year-old child on a webcam over the Internet?

That’s what the Crown will have to prove about Michael Hughes, after Toronto Police charged the 26-year-old with the chilling crime.

Detectives here were led to the suspect after receiving a tip from their colleagues in California. It started when a phone sex worker alleges she saw Hughes commit the unspeakable deed over the Net.

Authorities have been trying to track the youngster since the story broke on Monday, and now they have grounds to believe more children may have been involved in the alleged attack.

The California complainant insists she heard other young girls in the background when the purported assaults were taking place. Cops here are certain her reports are credible.

But Hughes has refused to say much and they won’t be able to confirm anything until they find the first victim. Officers have gone door to door in the apartment building where the suspect lives, hoping for leads. So far, they’ve come up empty.

They questioned neighbour Roy Bretson for half an hour. “I couldn’t tell them anything at all about him,” he shrugs.

And that’s where you come in.

“We’ve exhausted all the avenues that we can think of as far as being an immediate relative, immediate person in his care or custody, and so that’s why we’ve had to go to this next level and release his face and hope that people will call us,” relates Detective Constable Warren Bulmer.

Hughes is being held at the Metro West Detention Centre. He made a court appearance Tuesday, as his family looked on and his girlfriend dissolved in tears. Because of the nature of the allegations and the fact that he’s a jail guard, he’s being treated harshly by the other prisoners and may be transferred.

His next court appearance is this Friday.

Cops hope they can find out who his alleged victim is before then. If you have a clue that can help, call (416) 808-8500.