The girl and her family sat in the public gallery when Hughes appeared in the dock. He did not look at them.
Speaking outside the court, the girl's mother said seeing him was a way for her daughter to confront her fears.
"She described him as being two metres tall and you can tell that he's nowhere near that. So I guess when you're confined and somebody's's standing over you they do look like they're huge, which he's not.
"The guy is not a faceless person out there, he's now someone who looks as ugly as he behaves.''
The woman said her daughter was "not good'' after her ordeal, which she said lasted for up to 30 minutes.
"It's the stuff that nightmares are made of and she has certainly lived one now. But we're very lucky, it could have been an awful lot worse.''
Hughes was remanded in custody until October 17 when he will have a plea enquiry hearing.
