Judge Dread is the artistic name of British reggae and ska revival artist born Alex Hughes (1945 - March 12, 1998). He was the first white artist to get a reggae hit in Jamaica. Judge Dread died on stage in The Penny Theatre, Canterbury.

The Guinness Book of World Records credits Judge Dread for having the most banned songs of all time.

He should not be confused with the comic book and movie character Judge Dredd. In the 1990s some tabloid newspapers expressed concerns that young fans of the comic character might buy the reggae artist's records by mistake and hear things that might corrupt their young minds.