April 2016

Former teacher jailed over possession of indecent images

AN “arrogant and lying” ex-headmaster who had served an eight year sentence for abusing youngsters is back in jail – this time for viewing extreme pornography on his laptop computer.

Roger Griffiths, 77, of Coed Efa, New Broughton, near Wrexham, had 51 images of adults and animals in sexual contact and pleaded guilty to three charges of possessing extreme pornography.

Jailing him for nine months at Caernarfon Crown Court yesterday, Judge Geraint Walters said an original claim by Griffiths that the images were accessed for research following a newspaper article was “defying all reason and common sense. It seems you accept that now”.

Catherine Donnelly, prosecuting, said in 1999 Griffiths was jailed for eight years for sex offences against a teenage boy, assault on another, and child cruelty in the late 1970s and early ‘80s.

He had been headmaster of Gatewen Hall, a school which was part of the Bryn Alyn community at Wrexham.

Judge Walters said it beggared belief he could claim that viewing the extreme porn was an experiment to see how easy it was. His 1999 conviction aggravated the offending and Judge Walters said the women involved in the bestiality were themselves real people and victims.

The judge added: “For a considerable part of your life you have shown an addiction to sexually exploiting the vulnerable, whether they were children or you were persuaded to engage in this kind of activity with animals.”

Griffiths was arrogant and had tried to lie himself out of the situation. “The greatest concern to me is that you really are lying to yourself,” said Judge Walters who added: “You have an ability in your own mind to think you can persuade others that there’s always an innocent explanation.”

Ms Donnelly told the court a search was made of Griffiths’ home in relation to other matters in June, 2014 when his laptop – with a password Roger 1938 – was seized.

The porn was found when it was searched by experts. Griffiths tried to explain that he must have clicked that site by accident. None of the images had been stored.

He said Griffiths was in poor health. He had not been granted legal aid and had paid £15,000 to defend himself.

The sentence was later welcomed by Ian Mulcahey, senior investigating officer of Operation Pallial, which is connected to the National Crime Agency and is probing allegations of past abuse in the North Wales care system.

It was officers from Pallial who had carried out the search at Griffiths’s home and discovered the porn. “We will do all we can to identify and bring to justice all those who think they can operate below the law enforcement radar and possess or supply extreme pornographic material,” said Mr Mulcahey.

Ed Beltrami, chief crown prosecutor for the CPS in Wales, said: “Roger Griffiths is guilty of possessing indecent, extreme pornographic images. Operation Pallial has successfully prosecuted a number of individuals of criminal offences. The team remains committed to bringing offenders like Griffiths to justice.”