‘Passed away suddenly’: Sister of Australia’s worst alleged sex offender sells his property
The sister of the man accused of being one of Australia’s worst sex offenders is selling his possessions, claiming her brother is dead.
A family member of a childcare worker accused of being a serious sex offender is selling his possessions, claiming her brother is dead and his belongings must go.
The man’s identity was revealed on Tuesday as Ashley Paul Griffith, 45, from the Gold Coast.
Mr Griffith is accused of raping and abusing 91 girls at various childcare centres in Queensland, New South Wales and overseas locations.
The alleged crimes are believed to have taken place over a 15-year period.
Mr Griffith has been charged with more than 1600 offences, including rape, indecent treatment of children and making and possessing child exploitation material.
New laws introduced on Tuesday in Queensland to “modernise” reporting of such offences allowed Mr Griffith to be identified.
It can now be revealed that the sister of Mr Griffith has been selling his belongings, telling prospective buyers her brother has been “recently incapacitated” or has “passed away suddenly”.
The sister has so far sold a Fender Jazzmaster for $2000 ($1000 less than what was advertised), a MOOG Matriarch Semi-Modular Analog Synthesiser for $2500, a FENDER ‘68 Custom Deluxe Reverb Amp for $1800 and a Super 8 film camera for $500 among other items.
When selling Mr Griffith’s Fender guitar just two weeks ago, she wrote, “this belonged to my brother who has passed away suddenly.”
“He took immaculate care of his instruments, and this is in perfect, as new condition,” she continued.
While selling the Super 8, she wrote, “selling on behalf of my brother who has been recently incapacitated and is unable to do it on his own.”
She was consistent with the messaging around most of Mr Griffith’s goods she was selling.
“Am selling on behalf of my brother who has passed away, he always took amazing pride and care in his instruments and accessories so I know this is in great working order with no drama,” she wrote on a listing in May for a Bass Micro Synthesiser.
Mr Griffith has remained anonymous since his arrest in 2022 until October 3 this year, when the Queensland government scrapped the laws protecting his identity.
The AFP made his case public this year when more than 1000 child exploitation charges were laid against him.
He is facing 136 counts of rape, 604 charges of indecent treatment of a child and 613 counts of making child exploitation material in Queensland alone.
Police will allege videos and photographs produced by Mr Griffith were first spotted on a dark web platform by investigators in 2014.
However, it wasn’t until August 2022 that objects in the background of the videos and photographs were allegedly traced back to a Brisbane childcare centre by the Australian Federal Police.
Mr Griffith was arrested in August last year and charged with making and distributing child abuse material.
Following his arrest, he was met with hundreds of additional charges after law enforcement officers examined thousands of images allegedly found on his phone and other electronic devices.
Police claim the alleged offences occurred in Sydney and Brisbane between 2007 to 2013 and 2018 to 2022, and also in Europe in 2013 and 2014.
The AFP has stated that it is “highly confident” that 87 children have been identified, and their families have been informed of the investigation.
Mr Griffith‘s charges will be mentioned in court again on November 6.
The AFP has assured the public that if law enforcement has not contacted them, it is extremely unlikely that their child was involved in any of the alleged offences.
“The AFP is highly confident that all the Australian children who were recorded in the alleged child abuse material have been identified,” AFP Assistant Commissioner Justine Gough said. “This is a distressing time for families, carers and the community broadly.”
Mr Griffith previously worked as a childcare centre director in Brisbane’s northern suburbs.
More Coverage
In a since-deleted staff profile, Mr Griffith said he was a “firm believer in play-based learning”.
“I love engaging children in meaningful experiences that inspire their play and learning,” he said.
“Young children are natural inquirers, exploring the world through their senses, seeking answers and building theories. As an Early Childhood Teacher I hope to share this journey, learning side-by-side children and inspiring them.”