MATTHEW GRIFFITHS SENTENCED IN WORCESTER FOR REPEATED OFFENCES INVOLVING CHILD INDECENT IMAGES
A visibly shocked and ashen-faced Matthew Griffiths faced his sentence at Worcester Crown Court after being convicted of possessing extremely harmful indecent images of children being raped.The repeat offender, who had previously been convicted of similar crimes in 2005, appeared before judge Nicolas Cartwright on Wednesday and was told he had not been rehabilitated.
During the hearing, the judge questioned Griffiths about the gravity of his actions, asking, "How would you feel if your own children were treated in a similar way?" The defendant, who appeared unprepared for a potential prison term with no belongings in his dock, turned pale upon learning he would be immediately incarcerated.
The 42-year-old man, who reportedly still enjoys support from his wife, admitted to making indecent images of children categorized as level A (the most serious), as well as categories B and C.
He also possessed extreme pornographic images involving animals.
A total of five images at category A, ten at category B, four at category C, and eight extreme images involving animals were found.
In her sentencing remarks, the judge stated that the victims in the category A images were aged between seven and nine, with others aged 10 and between 14 and 16.
Prosecutor Ravi Sidhu revealed that the indecent material was on Griffiths’ Samsung mobile phone when he was arrested on May 25 of the previous year.
When police interviewed him, Griffiths responded with a 'no comment.' The prosecutor noted that Griffiths had a previous conviction for eight similar offences linked to offences committed in 2002, which resulted in a three-year community order later revoked in 2007 for what was deemed good behavior.
Mr.
Sidhu described the current offences as an escalation and argued that the prior conviction was an aggravating factor.
Defense lawyer Julia Needham argued that the images were only possessed and not shared, emphasizing that most materials were at category B and that there were hundreds of images and videos, many legal.
She explained her client’s situation at the time, citing repeated delays in bowel cancer screening during the pandemic, and requested a suspended sentence.
She also pointed out that Griffiths’ last conviction was 20 years ago, in 2005, and suggested he could participate in the Horizon program aimed at rehabilitating sex offenders.
Describing Griffiths as a father of three and employed full-time, Mrs.
Needham presented a supportive reference from his wife.
Judge Nicolas Cartwright addressed Griffiths directly, urging him to consider the gravity of his actions by reflecting on the trauma inflicted upon the children in the images.
The judge said, "The children shown in the images that you have an interest in were plainly subjected to the most appalling sexual abuse - and photographed while it went on.
You would plainly be horrified if someone did such things to your children." He further explained the devastating impact on victims, noting that those still alive will bear both emotional and psychological scars, compounded by the fact that images and videos of these crimes are circulating online, accessible to others with similar illicit interests.
Because of Griffiths’ history of repeated offending, Judge Cartwright stated that immediate custody was necessary.
Consequently, Griffiths was sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Additionally, he imposed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, restricting internet use and granting police enhanced powers to monitor his devices, which are required to retain and display browsing history for inspection.
Furthermore, the court ordered the forfeiture and destruction of Griffiths’ phone.
As a registered sex offender, he will also be subject to notification and registration obligations for the next decade.
