‘Rot! Burn!’: Outbursts in court as paedophile extradited
One of Australia’s most notorious paedophiles has had abuse hurled at him in court after a move interstate to face almost 200 more charges was approved.
A victim supporter vented her fury at former childcare worker Ashley Paul Griffith, 48, in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday, screaming: “Rot! Rot! Fire! Brimstone! Burn!”
Convicted paedophile Ashley Paul Griffith fronted Brisbane Magistrates Court after more than 200 charges were approved. Supplied
Griffith was jailed for life with a non-parole period of 27 years in Queensland in November 2024 after pleading guilty to 307 child sexual offences.
He has also been charged in NSW with 180 child sexual offences allegedly committed against 23 girls at a childcare centre in Sydney between 2014 and 2017.
The victim supporter yelled “get f---ed Ashley” and “disgusting piece of feral flesh” as Griffith was led from the court after the application for his transfer to NSW was granted by Magistrate Belinda Merrin.
A thin Griffith wearing an ill-fitting green hooded jacket and thongs appeared impassive throughout the hearing.
The magistrate was told an application had been filed on July 13 on behalf of the NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley.
That followed an application on June 26 by Queensland Attorney-General Deb Frecklington, who had unsuccessfully asked for the transfer to be fast-tracked.
The application was not opposed by Griffith’s barrister Matt Black.
The path for Griffith to be transferred to face the NSW charges was cleared in June after his appeal against the severity of his Queensland sentence was dismissed.
Merrin did not specify a date or time for Griffith’s transfer.
Ashley Paul Griffith has been jailed for life over sex offences he committed in childcare centres. nna\trose
Throughout two decades of preying on children in Queensland, Griffith filmed all but one of his victims, building a vast cache of abuse he shared online.
When detectives raided his Gold Coast home in 2022, they seized more than 4000 child abuse images and videos documenting much of his offending.
The offences related to 65 victims aged between one and nine, including 28 rapes of pre-school-aged girls in Queensland childcare centres.
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
– AAP
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