A former Australian daycare worker pleaded guilty on Monday to 307 counts of sexual abuse, including rape, against dozens of girls during attacks at daycares in Australia and Italy between 2003 and 2022.
The accused, Ashley Griffith46, allegedly sexually abused minors in various locations across Australia, as well as in the city of Pisa, Italy, it has been confirmed Efe judicial sources from the Australian state of Queensland.
According to the prosecution, The charges include 28 counts of rape.190 for indecent treatment of minors and 67 for production of material for the sexual exploitation of minors, among others.
Griffith, who appeared in court in the north-east Queensland city of Brisbane on Monday, must await his next hearing in jail on September 9, which is one of the steps leading up to his conviction and sentencing, the court said.
Several victims and their families attended the hearing in Brisbane, where many relatives broke down in tears as the victims’ names were read out, according to the Australian public broadcaster. ABC.
One parent of a minor abused by Griffith, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told ABC that he It seems “hard to believe” that the accused remained unnoticed for so long.
The girl’s father added that his daughter was not yet aware of Griffith’s abuse, so he and his wife would explain what happened and deal with the impact it has on her life.
“As he gets older, we’ll deal with it as we go, but it’s going to be something we deal with throughout our lives now,” said the father of one of the victims.
Australian police arrested Griffith in August 2022 and initially charged him with various offenses related to possession of material on the sexual exploitation of minors, although after searching his electronic devices, he charged him with more than a thousand child sex offenses, including rape.
However, Hundreds of charges against Griffithconsidered one of Australia’s worst paedophiles, were rejected until they were reduced to 307.
Under Queensland law, the maximum penalty for rape is life imprisonment.
