A ‘despicable’ man who sexually assaulted a girl while she slept after a birthday party then tried to claim she was lying has been put behind bars.
Gareth Griffiths began by making ‘sexual comments’ to the 18-year-old girl as they both attended the same birthday celebration in November 2023, a court heard. He then ‘touched her inappropriately’, police said.
The victim fell asleep later that night and woke to find Griffiths sexually assaulting her. She reported the 46-year-old to Cheshire Police the next day.
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Griffiths tried to claim the allegations against him ‘were simply a fabrication’. Police said he showed no remorse throughout the investigation into the incident, which happened in Blacon in Chester.
But evidence in the trial led to a jury convicting him of sexual assault and two counts of assault by penetration. He had also earlier pleaded guilty to intentional suffocation and two counts of assault in connection with an unrelated matter.
On Wednesday (May 6), Griffiths, of Wordsworth Crescent, Chester, was sentenced to nine-years in prison at Chester Crown Court. He was also handed a 15-year restraining order and must sign the sex offenders’ register.
After the sentencing, Detective Inspector Steve Popplestone said: “During questioning, Griffiths denied any involvement and tried to undermine the victim’s account, claiming the allegations against him were simply a fabrication. He has shown no remorse for his actions throughout this investigation and even made the victim relive her trauma by way of a trial.
“In spite of this, he was rightfully found guilty by a jury thanks to the substantial casefile of evidence gathered against him – which included forensic analysis showing Griffiths’ DNA to be present on the victim’s underwear.”
DI Popplestone added: “I would like to thank the victim for her bravery in coming forward and speaking about what happened to her. No-one should have to go through what she has been through, and I hope the conclusion of this court process will help to bring her some sense of closure.
“Although nothing will make her forget what this despicable man did, her evidence and courage has meant Griffiths is now behind bars for a significant length of time, where he can no longer pose a danger to women. We will continue to do all we can to tackle any incident of violence against women and take all reports of such crimes extremely seriously and will investigate thoroughly to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.”