
A mother of two was confronted by the precipice of incarceration, her countenance awash with tears in an emotionally charged courtroom, as she was sentenced for her complicity in the murder of Jacob Ramsay, a farm worker lost to a gruesome act of violence in Taranaki.
In parallel, another mother laid bare her raw, throbbing heartache, bewildered by Hughes’s part in the heartless wrenching of a father’s presence from his offspring. Sarah Ramsay, Jacob’s widow, spoke with raw pain, “As a mother of three, I cannot fathom how someone could commit an act of such magnitude. My sole purpose in this life is the happiness, health, and love of my children, and their father has been unjustly snatched from them.”
Earlier in August, Hughes had been absolved of direct murder charges but indicted on counts of deliberately intending to inflict grievous bodily harm and manslaughter. Hughes stood in court alongside William Candy, her significant other, and Ethan Webster, both of whom had already pleaded guilty to the heinous act and found themselves languishing in life-long imprisonment since March.
Hughes was later delivered to the High Court at New Plymouth, under Justice Matthew Palmer. The sentence brought the prolonged prosecution of the three accused to a solemn close. Simultaneously, Sara spoke articulately of the unfillable void her beloved husband’s demise left in her and their children’s existence.
Jacob Ramsay, a mere 33 years old, fell victim to a base act of violence related to an unresolved financial dispute and accusations of pilfering fuel and tools from the dairy farm that all of the workers called home. The heinous act saw him battered in a cemetery before being forced into Hughes’s vehicle and transported back to the farm. The gruesome brutality continued at the hands of Candy and Webster and ended with him being chained and dragged along a gravel track.
Hughes had initially pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and burglary charges; however, she denied causing Ramsay grievous bodily harm and having any hand in his murder. She found herself accused of being complicit in Candy’s brutal actions, driven by her anger at Ramsay over a monetary dispute.
During her hearing, Hughes stood accused of having played a significant part in the tragic events. She had burgled Ramsay’s dwelling, abducted him, and subsequently, aided her co-conspirators in inflicting lethal harm onto Ramsay. All while exuding an alarming indifference to the suffering of Ramsay, who was a father, a son, and a partner.
Despite the prosecution’s sentiments, the defense, led by Tiffany Cooper, KC, accounted for Hughes’ rocky relationship with Candy and her own background of extensive abuse, which led to her post-traumatic stress disorder, as contributing to her actions.
Justice Palmer, while acknowledging Hughes’ guilt regarding burglary, denied her having had a dominant role in the actual murder. Although she encouraged and was complicit in the assault, he found no evidence that she was fully aware of the extent of the crime that Candy and Webster meant to commit.
However, in her defense, the judge accepted the correlation between Hughes’s traumatic past and her crimes. The remorse she expressed also played a significant role in his final ruling. A written letter from Hughes illustrated how she stayed awake each night ruminating on her misguided choices on the fateful day of Ramsay’s death.
The judge eventually gave Hughes an eight-year starting sentence on all charges, which factored in her guilty pleas to burglary and kidnapping, her harrowing past, potential for rehabilitation, and the consideration of her children’s interests. The final verdict saw Hughes sentenced to five years and six months behind bars.