Queensland Attorney-General seeks legal advice on review into how daycare pedophile continued his abuse

Deb Frecklington has sought legal advice on a probe into the state’s child protection system after pedophile Ashley Paul Griffith sexually abused dozens of girls in daycare centres.

Court sketch of Ashley Paul Griffith. Illustration: Scott Breton / Newswire

Queensland Attorney-General Deb Frecklington has sought legal advice to launch a probe into the failings in the state’s child protection system that allowed one of Australia’s worst pedophiles, Ashley Paul Griffith, to sexually abuse dozens of girls in daycare centres.

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

The 46-year-old was last week sentenced to life in prison, with a non-parole period of 27 years, after pleading guilty to 309 charges. Griffith has 28 days to lodge an appeal against his sentence. The Australian understands the inquiry will not begin work until after the deadline for appeal.

Mr Twyford will be handed powers to compel witness and evidence, similar to those of a royal commission, with Ms Frecklington confirming she had received crown law advice “in relation to the inquiry and will be working with the Department of Justice in regards to its establishment”.

“I have been absolutely sickened by this case and my thoughts are with the dozens of innocent children and their families left broken by this abhorrent behaviour,” she said.

“To think this was able to happen when he was in a position of trust is horrific. We must protect the most vulnerable members of our community and do whatever is needed to keep people like this away from our kids.

“As Attorney-General, I am committed to strengthening and streamlining the Blue Card system and the Queensland Family and Child Commission Inquiry is a priority.”

Griffith 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.

Queensland police investigated him at the time but he was cleared after finding there was “insufficient evidence” to take action. 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”.

Griffith went on to rape at least one more girl and abused three others between the first complaint to Queensland police and his arrest in an unrelated investigation in August 2022.

A subsequent search of his phones and cameras uncovered evidence he had abused 91 girls in daycare centres in Queensland, NSW and Italy.

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, saying it was sufficient for police to review their own handling of prior complaints against Griffith.

An internal review was previously completed by police, finding the matters were appropriately investigated and that the claims could not be ­substantiated.

Ms Frecklington said the terms of reference for Mr Twyford’s review were being finalised. “The sooner we get that done, the better, but we are just working through that methodically right now because we must get our terms of reference right if we’re going to make a change to the Blue Card system.”