The identity of a childcare worker accused of being one of Australia’s worst paedophiles has been revealed as Ashley Paul Griffith.
Griffith, 45, from the Gold Coast, has been charged with 1,623 sexual offences against children in Brisbane, Sydney and overseas.
In August, the AFP revealed he had been arrested after officers had identified bed sheets in the background of alleged abuse material posted on the dark web.
Until now it had been illegal to name Griffith under Queensland law. However, new legislation came into effect in the state on Tuesday which allows for the naming of alleged sex offenders after they have been charged with a crime. Previously, they could only be named after being committed to stand trial.
Griffith faces charges of abusing and raping 91 prepubescent girls from 2007 to 2022. Charge sheets reveal he is accused of abusing up to seven different girls in a single month.
The AFP alleges the offending took place in 10 childcare centres in Brisbane between 2007 and 2013, and 2018 and 2022; an overseas location in 2013 and 2014; and one centre in Sydney between 2014 and 2017. Griffith worked at other childcare centres but is not alleged to have offended at those centres.
The Australian federal police assistant commissioner Justine Gough said in August officers were confident all 87 Australian girls recorded in the alleged child abuse material had been identified, and their parents informed. Some of the alleged victims are now over 18.
The AFP believes Griffith – who had the required childcare qualifications – recorded all his alleged offending.
He is yet to enter a plea, and is due to face Brisbane magistrates court again on 20 November.
Queensland passed laws in September to allow the naming of accused sex offenders after they are charged. The laws were a recommendation of the women’s safety and justice taskforce in July 2022 and bring the state into line with most other states and territories.
The changes mean that accused sex offenders will be treated the same as defendants accused of other crimes.
Reflecting on the laws when they passed parliament, the Queensland attorney general, Yvette D’Ath, said “rape myths have no place in our society”.
“Rape and sexual assault are some of the most underreported criminal offences in Australia and we want to support victims to come forward and hold perpetrators to account,” she said.
The opposition supported the government’s bill, and shadow attorney general, Tim Nicholls, said there did not seem to have been any “significant negative consequences” in jurisdictions where the accused can be named at an earlier stage.
“Indeed, when we think of other serious offences such as murder and manslaughter where the accused is named almost immediately, along with similar serious offences, the logic of retaining the restriction seems even less tenable,” he said.
Under the legislation, accused offenders can apply to the court for a non-publication order to maintain their anonymity.
