Ashley Paul Griffith to appeal life sentence after pleading guilty to abusing dozens of girls

A probe into the failings of Queensland’s child protection system that allowed one of Australia’s worst pedophiles to sexually abuse dozens of girls will proceed despite Ashley Paul Griffith’s appeal.

Ashley Paul Griffith is appealing his life sentence.

A probe into the failings of Queensland’s child protection system that allowed one of Australia’s worst pedophiles to sexually abuse dozens of girls in daycare centres will push ahead despite Ashley Paul Griffith’s decision to appeal his life sentence.

The inquiry, to be headed by the state’s Family and Child Commissioner Luke Twyford, is expected to start work this month and had been tasked with investigating how Griffith was able to repeatedly rape and abuse children for two decades, despite concerns about his conduct.

Describing Griffith’s decision to appeal his sentence as “horrendous”, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said the child safety inquiry would not be delayed but would face new legal complexities.

“When parents send their kids off, they want them to be safe and that was an abhorrent breach of trust, and we will be defending our position forcefully,” he said.

“I don’t want the review to be delayed because there are some issues, including with blue cards that have to be reviewed.

“Clearly this appeal will bring some complexities into the that case, but I still remain committed to doing that review, because I don’t think we can wait and leave the system without putting a spotlight over it.

“I think Mr Twyford is the right person to be able to manoeuvre the way through that complexity.”

Mr Twyford, who is also chair of the Child Death Review Board, will be handed powers to compel witness and evidence, similar to those of a royal commission.

Griffith was in November sentenced to life in prison, with a non-parole period of 27 years, after pleading guilty to 309 charges. He lodged an appeal against his sentence on December 20 but the matter is yet to be listed for a court hearing, which could be months away.

The 46-year-old was able to keep his Blue Card to work with children in Queensland despite two reports to police that he had abused girls in two separate Brisbane daycare centres in October 2021 and April 2022.

An internal review was previously completed by police, which found the matters were appropriately investigated and that the claims could not be ­substantiated. Griffith’s phone and homes were not searched and he was not even interviewed over the second complaint, from a three-year-old girl who told her mother that Griffith “touched my privates”.

His Blue Card was suspended only after the Australian Federal Police charged him in August 2022.

The former Miles Labor government resisted calls for a broad ­inquiry into system failures, saying it was sufficient for police to review their own handling of prior complaints against Griffith.