Disturbing details have emerged about how Australia’s worst paedophile, Ashley Paul Griffith, hid his monstrous nature from view for almost 20 years, sparking growing calls for an investigation into how child protection agencies failed to pick up the signs.
On September 2, Ashley Paul Griffith, 46, pleaded guilty in Brisbane District Court to more than 300 child sex offences, including 28 counts of rape, as well as persistent sexual abuse and making child exploitation material.
He admitted to committing offences against multiple children while working in daycare centres in Brisbane between January 2003 and August 2022.
Neighbours near his former home in central Brisbane knew Griffiths as a man who would sit in the front garden and play “beautiful music” on his guitar.
It was disturbing that he could look across the street at the schoolyard as he played his seductive music.
Children were seen playing at the back of a school yard during after-school care, directly in line with Griffiths’ former veranda when A current case recently visited the neighborhood.
A neighbor told the program she was disgusted by what she heard about Griffith, although she had no reason to suspect him as he lived near her.
Social media posts also reveal how unaware his family was of Griffiths true nature.
Earlier this year, Griffith pleaded guilty to raping multiple children while working in Brisbane daycare centres between January 2003 and August 2022.
“Happy birthday Ashley, and have a lovely day in the centre of Pisa,” his mother wrote in a now-deleted Facebook message to Griffith during his holiday in the iconic Italian tourist destination in 2013.
Five of his convictions date from that period in Italy.
His sister revealed in a 2014 Facebook post (which has since been deleted) that Griffith was a big fan of child star Shirley Temple, who was a Hollywood sensation in the 1930s.
Griffith’s sister wrote in a 2014 post that Temple had died.
“No way, Ashley Griffith will be devastated,” she wrote.
Last year, his sister tried to sell his beloved Fender guitar online, telling potential buyers that her brother had “passed away suddenly.”
The dark underbelly of the Brisbane home once home to Australia’s worst pedophile, Ashley Paul Griffith
“He has maintained his instruments very well and this instrument is in perfect condition, as good as new,” she wrote.
The cunning way Griffith groomed the families of potential victims was revealed in a biography he wrote for parents of the daycare centers where he worked, in which he boasted that he had worked in childcare for 20 years.
Griffith said he loved “working closely with children and families.”
“I believe that children thrive when they feel loved, supported and safe,” the pedophile wrote.
‘I also love creating experiences that excite children and spark their curiosity and sense of wonder.’
Two complaints about Griffith were made to authorities, but both were ignored. He was eventually arrested in August 2022 by the Australian Federal Police, who were investigating a separate matter.
A worker at a Uniting Church daycare centre filed a complaint after witnessing Griffith “kissing” a young girl while she was sleeping in 2021.
Officers were unable to substantiate the complaint, as there was no mention of ‘physical contact’, so they were unable to obtain a warrant to search his equipment.
A second complaint in April 2022 involved a three-year-old girl at another daycare who said she had been touched inappropriately.
This was also denied by Queensland police, without Griffith being questioned by detectives.
Griffith used this biography on daycare websites to sell a version of himself that hid his predatory nature
The parent of the three-year-old child who filed the complaint expressed her frustration to A Current Affair.
“How is it that a man who was charged with two completely different incidents at two different daycare centers is allowed to work at a third daycare center?” the mother wondered.
The opposition Liberal National Party has announced that if elected to office at the upcoming state election it will commission the Queensland Family and Child Commission to conduct a “fully independent investigation” into the child protection system.
Shadow justice minister Tim Nicholls said there was a need for “a thorough investigation and overhaul of the system that allowed this monster to survive and commit the crimes he committed”.
Mile government PDefence Minister Mark Ryan has asked the police chief to conduct a second internal investigation into how officers handled the initial complaints about Griffith.
When Griffith was arrested, police found more than 4,000 images and videos of horrific child abuse on his devices.
Griffith’s case was discussed in court Monday to set a date for his sentencing, which is likely to take two days, as many family members are expected to read their victim impact statements in court.
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National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028