Notorious paedophile fights ‘excessive’ life sentence

One of Australia’s worst pedophiles, childcare worker Ashley Paul Griffith, has launched a bid to have the life sentence he received for abusing dozens of young children reduced.

Lawyers for the notorious predator today argued before the Queensland Court of Appeal that the 27-year non-parole period imposed on him in 2024 was “manifestly excessive” as they sought permission to appeal.

Griffith is behind bars after a horrific history of abuse spanning nearly two decades came to light.

He pleaded guilty to 307 child sex crimes against 65 victims between the ages of one and nine.

It included 28 rapes of girls, mainly between the ages of three and five, in daycare centers in Queensland between 2007 and 2022.

Griffith used his trusted role to prey on toddlers and preschoolers while they slept or by taking them to remote corners of childcare centers, often while their parents thought they were safe in his care.

In court, his legal team claimed the judge had gone too far, insisting the case could have been resolved within a fixed term of 25 to 30 years, with a much shorter non-parole period.

Defense lawyer Sarah Cartledge admitted Griffith’s crimes were “truly appalling” and that he had preyed on “the most vulnerable” while in a position of trust.

The appeal focuses heavily on the parole eligibility date, with the defense arguing that although a life sentence was available, the minimum sentence in fact imposed a harsher sentence than in comparable cases of extreme child sex crimes.

Cartledge said Griffith had cooperated fully and openly since his arrest, providing approximately 18 hours of interviews.

“This was not a case where the court had to deprive him of the truth at trial,” she said.

“His extensive cooperation and guilty plea saved a tremendous amount of court time and spared complainants from giving evidence.

“The cooperation here went far beyond what this court usually sees … he not only admitted to the allegations – he reported further cases of abuse and helped police find out who some of the children were.”

Judge John Bond, chairman of the appeal panel, suggested it was more appropriate to view the sentence as a court determination that Griffith should serve no less than 27 years.

He insisted on the wider impact of his offending, suggesting the damage extended far beyond his victims.

“These crimes do not end with the children and their families,” Judge Bond said.

“They undermine trust in child care settings, they injure the people who worked alongside this man, and they burden those tasked with investigating and responding to his wrongdoing.

“The damage incurred over the past twenty years must be taken into account in the sentence.”

During two decades of preying on children, Griffith filmed all but one of his victims, building up a huge cache of abuse that he shared online.

When detectives raided his Gold Coast home in 2022, they seized more than 4,000 child abuse images and videos that documented many of his offending.

Prosecutors, led by Ruth O’Gorman KC as Director of Public Prosecutions, urged the court to dismiss the appeal, saying the verdict hardly reflected the scale and brutality of the crimes.

“When you weigh the seriousness of this crime, the number of victims and the deliberate manner in which it was carried out over almost two decades, it cannot seriously be said that this sentence is excessive,” O’Gorman said.

“It is a strong punishment, but a justified one.”

She said psychiatric evidence showed Griffith would pose a risk of reoffending if released too soon.

Griffith is also wanted in NSW, where he is the subject of an arrest warrant for alleged child sex offenses while working there between 2014 and 2018.

The case led to a comprehensive review of Queensland’s childcare system, which found red flags were repeatedly raised and warning signs raised but ignored.

The court of appeal reserved its decision.

Support is available by calling 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028, Lifeline 13 11 14 and Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25.