ALEXANDER GRIFFITHS FROM HUDDERSFIELD SENTENCED FOR SEXTORTION AND CHILD PORNOGRAPHY INVOLVING A LEICESTER SCHOOLGIRL
In a disturbing case that has shocked the local community, Alexander Griffiths, a 37-year-old man from Denby Dale near Huddersfield, was sentenced to over three years in prison for engaging in a heinous campaign of sextortion against a 14-year-old girl from Leicester.The incident, which took place in March 2019, involved a prolonged period of coercion, threats, and exploitation that left the young victim emotionally devastated.
According to court proceedings, Griffiths initiated contact with the girl through Snapchat, where he falsely claimed to be 16 years old.
Over the course of their online friendship, he showered her with compliments, which she found flattering given her lack of positive attention in her personal life.
During their interactions, Griffiths sent the girl explicit photos of his genitals, and in return, she shared images of herself, some fully clothed and others partially naked.
These images fell into the lowest category of indecent images, yet they marked the beginning of a disturbing pattern of exploitation.
As their online relationship progressed, Griffiths became increasingly persistent and aggressive.
He bombarded her with messages, causing her to block him at one point.
However, he tracked her down on Instagram and sent her threatening messages, warning that he would post her private images online unless she complied with his demands.
He demanded videos of her engaging in sexual acts with her boyfriend, offering her three different options for such videos.
When she refused, Griffiths escalated his threats, providing her with even more explicit options, including a live webcam stream where he insisted she perform any act he requested.
Despite her protests, including her stating she was on her period and too young for sex, Griffiths continued to pressure her.
The victim, overwhelmed and frightened, confided that she had been crying in school, was anxious about her upcoming exams, and was afraid of being judged or getting into trouble.
She revealed that Griffiths had started a countdown to post her images online and had followed her Instagram followers in an attempt to share her private photos with others.
True to his threats, Griffiths eventually posted two of her images publicly on his Instagram account, causing her immense distress.
Following these events, police investigations led to Griffiths’ arrest at his residence on Wakefield Road, Denby Dale, where he lives with his wife.
His phone was seized and examined, confirming his involvement in the crimes.
During police interviews, Griffiths admitted to messaging the girl but claimed he was unaware of her true age.
In a personal statement read aloud in court, the victim described feeling trapped and overwhelmed by the ordeal.
She recounted self-harming nearly every day during the period of sextortion, crying herself to sleep, and feeling increasingly angry and upset.
She also shared that she would scrub herself in the shower until her body hurt, and despite being referred to school counselors and mental health services, she had not disclosed the full extent of her abuse out of fear of judgment and punishment.
The girl revealed that she skipped a family trip to Yorkshire to avoid encountering her abuser and expressed ongoing insecurity about her body.
Judge Jane Smith sentenced Griffiths to three years and four months in prison after he pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity to charges of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and distributing indecent images of a child.
Additionally, Griffiths was placed under an indefinite sexual harm prevention order, which prohibits him from having unsupervised contact with any underage girls, aiming to prevent further harm and protect potential future victims.
