ROGER GRIFFITHS FROM WREXHAM JAILED FOR EXTREME PORNOGRAPHY AND PAST ABUSE CASES
In a recent development in the ongoing efforts to combat sexual exploitation and abuse, Roger Griffiths, a 77-year-old former educator from Wrexham, has been sentenced to nine months in prison for possessing extreme pornography.Griffiths, who resides in Coed Efa, New Broughton, was found to have stored 51 images depicting explicit acts involving adults and animals on his personal laptop.
He pleaded guilty to three charges related to the possession of such material during the court proceedings at Caernarfon Crown Court.
Judge Geraint Walters presided over the case and delivered the sentence, criticizing Griffiths’ initial explanation that the images were accessed for research purposes following a newspaper article.
The judge described this claim as “defying all reason and common sense,” and noted that Griffiths had now accepted the truth of his actions.
Prosecutor Catherine Donnelly provided context about Griffiths’ criminal history, revealing that in 1999, he was sentenced to eight years in prison for multiple sex offenses committed against minors.
These offenses included abuse of a teenage boy, assault on another individual, and acts of child cruelty, all occurring in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
At that time, Griffiths was serving as the headmaster of Gatewen Hall, a school affiliated with the Bryn Alyn community located in Wrexham.
Judge Walters expressed disbelief at Griffiths’ attempt to justify his recent viewing of extreme pornography as an innocent experiment, emphasizing that his 1999 conviction compounded the seriousness of his current offense.
The judge also highlighted that the images of bestiality involved real victims, underscoring the gravity of the situation.
He remarked on Griffiths’ apparent addiction to exploiting vulnerable individuals, whether children or animals, and criticized his arrogance and dishonesty during the proceedings.
The case was further investigated after a search of Griffiths’ residence in June 2014, which was conducted as part of an unrelated inquiry.
During this search, authorities seized his laptop, which was protected by a password reading “Roger 1938.” Expert analysis uncovered the illicit images, although Griffiths claimed he must have accessed the site accidentally, asserting that none of the images had been stored on his device.
Despite his claims of poor health, Griffiths had paid approximately £15,000 to fund his legal defense, as he was not granted legal aid.
The case received support from law enforcement agencies, notably Ian Mulcahey, senior investigating officer of Operation Pallial, a unit linked to the National Crime Agency.
Operation Pallial is actively investigating allegations of historical abuse within the North Wales care system.
Mulcahey stated that officers from Pallial were responsible for executing the search that uncovered the pornography and reaffirmed their commitment to identifying and prosecuting individuals involved in the possession or distribution of extreme pornographic material.
Additionally, Ed Beltrami, the chief crown prosecutor for Wales, emphasized the importance of the case, stating, “Roger Griffiths is guilty of possessing indecent, extreme pornographic images.
Operation Pallial has successfully prosecuted numerous individuals involved in similar criminal activities.
Our team remains dedicated to bringing offenders like Griffiths to justice.”
