Former childcare worker Ashley Paul Griffith has faced a further 202 charges of child abuse, the New South Wales Police Force said. The charges relate to 23 alleged victims aged between one and five, with the offences allegedly occurring between 2014 and 2017 at a kindergarten in Sydney’s inner west.
Among the new NSW charges are 68 counts of the rape of a child under 10, as well as 42 counts of aggravated rape of a child under 10 in his care. Other charges include 69 counts of aggravated indecent assault and 23 charges of producing child abuse material. Griffith was charged while in custody at Silverwater Correctional Centre in Sydney.
The 48-year-old Queensland man arrived in NSW on Wednesday, after his transfer was approved by a Brisbane magistrate earlier that month. In Queensland, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in November 2024 after pleading guilty to more than 300 criminal offences of child sexual abuse committed against nearly 70 victims. There, he admitted to assaulting and filming girls over a number of years while working in kindergartens.
Assistant Commissioner of NSW Police Brett Greentree stated that the lengthy investigation involved cooperation with police across the country. “The charges before the court are deeply disturbing and include some of the most vulnerable members of our community,” Greentree said. He added that every child deserves to be safe and protected from harm, and that NSW Police is committed to identifying, investigating and prosecuting those who abuse a position of trust to harm children.
Police had previously described the charges as “deeply disturbing”. Support for the alleged victims was also evident in the court, where supporters jeered at Griffith as he stood in the dock during the transfer hearing.
