Extraordinary reason Ashley Paul Griffith is appealing his sentence after he was jailed for abusing 69 girls
One of Australia’s worst paedophiles, Ashley Paul Griffith, is appealing his life sentence on the grounds that his punishment is ‘excessive’.
It’s only been a month and a half since the former childcare worker was jailed for life, pleading guilty to more than 300 sex crimes against children.
Griffith’s offending spanned almost 20 years at daycares in Brisbane and Italy.
It included 28 counts of rape, 190 counts of indecently treating a child, and 67 counts of creating child exploitation material.
In total he abused 69 girls while working in childcare.
He was taken into custody in August 2022 after police were able to identify a Brisbane childcare centre from bedsheets in videos he had uploaded to the dark web in 2014.
At his sentencing in November last year, Judge Paul Smith imposed a life sentence with a non-parole period of 27 years and said Griffith was ‘depraved and has a high risk of reoffending’.
‘People expect their children will be protected in childcare centres and this will be a concern to every parent in this state,’ he said.
Griffith’s offending spanned more than 20 years and included 28 counts of rape, 190 counts of indecently treating a child,and 67 counts of creating child exploitation material
Judge Smith said Griffith had filmed most of the victims as he sexually assaulted them and there was a chance the videos he shared with others would ‘live forever on the internet’.
‘The children were awake or asleep … he frequently gave them an iPad to distract them,’ he said.
The judge said Griffith could be heard mocking the children in the videos when they told him to stop.
Griffith had uploaded videos of himself abusing children to the dark web in order to gain access to child exploitation material from other members of a website.
He was made a ‘VIP user’ on the website and even wrote comments to other pedophiles advising them on how to sexually assault children.
Griffith had initially denied committing any offence but later made admissions during 13 police interviews while still downplaying the number of victims and seriousness of the sexual assaults, the judge said.
‘There was co-operation in identifying victims and the location of offending … the defendant did not identify any victims not captured on video.’
The court also heard harrowing accounts from three victims and 20 parents about the impact of his abuse.
Griffith’s offending spanned almost 20 years at daycares in Brisbane and Italy
‘(You were the) one who was supposed to keep them safe in a childhood centre,’ one parent said.
‘I now look at every male teacher or carer with suspicion. Nowhere is safe.’
A mother said knowing what Griffith had done to her daughter would haunt her forever.
‘The only time she was away from me is when I placed her in your hands which is something I’ll regret for the rest of my life,’ she said.
Griffith’s appeal was filed on December 20 and there is not yet a court date.
His lawyers have argued his sentence is manifestly excessive.
He is also facing new charges in New South Wales, involving 23 alleged victims in Sydney.
