Disturbing details have emerged about how Australia’s worst paedophile, Ashley Paul Griffith, hid his monstrous nature in plain sight for almost 20 years, amid growing calls for an inquiry into how child protection agencies missed the warning signs.
On 2 September, in Brisbane Local Court, 46-year-old Ashley Paul Griffith pleaded guilty to more than 300 child sex offences, including 28 counts of rape, as well as continuous sexual abuse and production of child exploitation material.
He admitted committing offences against several children while working at childcare centres in Brisbane between January 2003 and August 2022.
Neighbours at his former home in inner-city Brisbane knew Griffiths as a man who would sit on his front lawn playing “beautiful music” on his guitar.
The most disturbing thing was that across the street he could see a schoolyard as he played his seductive melodies.
Children were seen playing at the back of a school oval during after-school care in direct line with Griffiths’ former front porch when A current issue I recently visited the neighborhood.
One neighbor told the show she was upset by what she learned about Griffith, although she had no reason to suspect him as long as he lived near her.
Social media posts also show how oblivious his family was to Griffith’s true nature.
Earlier this year, Griffith pleaded guilty to abusing several boys while working at childcare centres in Brisbane between January 2003 and August 2022.
“Happy birthday Ashley, have a great day in the center of Pisa,” her mother wrote in a now-deleted Facebook post to Griffith while on vacation 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 was later deleted, that Griffith was a big fan of child star Shirley Temple, who was a Hollywood sensation during the 1930s.
Griffith’s sister noted in a 2014 post that Temple had died.
“Oh no, Ashley Griffith will be devastated,” she wrote.
Last year, his sister tried to sell his prized Fender guitar online, telling potential buyers that her brother had “suddenly passed away.”
The dark underbelly of the Brisbane house that was once home to Australia’s worst paedophile, Ashley Paul Griffith
“He took impeccable care of his instruments and this one is in perfect condition, like new,” he wrote.
The insidious way Griffith groomed the families of potential victims was demonstrated in a biography she wrote for parents at the centers where she worked, where she boasted of having worked in child care for 20 years.
Griffith said she loved developing close partnerships with children and families.
“I believe children thrive when they feel loved, supported and safe,” the pedophile wrote.
“I also love creating experiences that excite children and foster their curiosity and wonder.”
There were reportedly two complaints about Griffith to authorities, but both were ignored before his eventual arrest in August 2022 by the Australian Federal Police, who were investigating another matter.
A staff member at a United Church child care center filed a report that she had seen Griffith “kissing” a girl during bedtime in 2021.
Officers found that the complaint could not be substantiated on the grounds that it contained no report of “physical contact” and therefore they were unable to obtain a warrant to search his devices.
A second complaint in April 2022 involved a three-year-old girl at a different daycare who said she had been touched inappropriately.
Queensland Police also dismissed this claim without Griffith being interviewed by detectives.
Griffith used this bio on child care center websites to sell a version of himself that hid his predatory nature.
The mother of the three-year-old boy who filed the complaint expressed her frustration to A Current Affair.
“How is it possible that a man who had been accused of two completely different crimes in two different daycare centers was allowed to work in a third daycare center?” the mother asked.
The opposition Liberal National Party has announced that if elected at the next state election it will order the Queensland Children and Families Commission to conduct a “full independent review” of the child protection system.
Shadow Attorney General Tim Nicholls told Nine that what is needed is “a thorough investigation and an overhaul of the system that allowed this monster to break through and commit the crimes he committed”.
P-mile governmentPolice Minister Mark Ryan has asked the Police Commissioner for a second internal review into how officers handled 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 mentioned in court on Monday to set a date for his sentencing, which will likely take two days because of the large number of family members expected to read their victim impact statements in court.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Service for Support and Reparation in Cases of Sexual Abuse 1800 211 028