A father and daughter duo who viciously assaulted a stranger in the street during a brutal knife attack and bit him while he was unconscious have been jailed. Hollie Griffin, 28 repeatedly stabbed Gareth Rowlands, 38 with a kitchen knife on the legs while Paul Griffin, 46, bit his face and smashed his head off the ground.
The shocking incident which was caught on camera shows the 46-year-old biting Mr Rowland in the face, throwing his head to the ground and kicking him with such great force that his flip flop flew off. Meanwhile, Hollie Griffin attacked Rowland with a knife that her dad had been using to cook a roast dinner only minutes before, the Liverpool Echo reports.
Rowlands had been knocked out after the first punch by Griffiths outside Mount Avenue in Higher Bebington, Wirral but the father and daughter continued to assault him. Liverpool Crown Court heard the assault broke out on December 16 after Rowlands had shown up at Hollie's address 'appearing drunk and aggressive' at around 10pm on June 20 this year.
A neighbour filmed a verbal argument through their window outside the property before 38-year-old Mr Rowlands struck out at Paul Griffin with a can of drink. The father then punched him in retaliation and knocked him out instantly but the appalling footage shows the pair continuing to brutally attack the unresponsive man.
Stella Hayden, prosecuting, described how Paul Griffin "directed numerous blows" towards Rowlands as 28-year-old Hollie "struck him to the legs with a knife repeatedly". Griffin then bit Mr Rowlands in the face with such force that his "head rose from the floor" before being slammed back down on the ground.
Mr Rowland suffered fractured eye sockets as a result of the incident and was reportedly discovered by police with 'a pool of blood' around his head before he was rushed to Aintree Hospital. The dad-of-three will no longer be able to continue his work as a joiner and will be left permanently scarred from the assault.
The Griffins, who were 'covered in blood', stood nearby the scene and were arrested when police arrived. Paul Griffin has since tried to claim they acted out of self defence but the pair have both received a prison sentence for their crime.
Hollie Griffin, who appeared via video link to HMP Styal, already has 17 previous convictions for 31 offences. Anna Duke, defending, said: "This young lady was in the comfort and safety of her own home.
"The complainant had issues with her. They are not known to each other and she had no issues with him.
"Quite clearly, the initial knock on the door seemed to be aggressive and confrontational. Her dad seems to have been assaulted and she overreacted in the worst possible way.
"The camera doesn't lie, but you don't know what's going on behind the scene in relation to someone's mental health. There is no defence in this case.
"But it gives some explanation to how this young lady behaved in such an untoward way on the day in question." Paul Griffin, who appeared on video from HMP Altcourse, has a total of 14 convictions for 26 offences.
Bernice Campbell, appearing on behalf of the father, informed the court that the railway supervisor's son had died in a crash in 2018. She added: "He has not dealt with his grief and he is still struggling with it.
"Mr Griffin constantly tried to stop his daughter from getting involved. He was saying what he was going to do to his daughter - he was going to slash her and burn her house down.
"It was only when struck, that was the starting point - that was the flashpoint. He was trying to keep his cool.
Both defendants pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of a bladed article in a public place. Hollie Griffin was sentenced behind bars for 40 months while Paul was given six years.
Sentencing, Judge Clement Goldstone KC said: "This was revenge, pure and simple, and a complete and utter loss of temper. It was gratuitous and wanton violence."
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