Child care worker unmasked as pedophile facing 1,623 charges

A former child care worker in Australia was identified this week as an alleged pedophile facing more than 1,600 charges of heinous offenses against children.

Ashley Paul Griffith, 45, of Queensland, has been charged with a staggering 1,623 sex crimes in Brisbane, Sydney, and abroad — including 136 counts of rape and 110 of having sex with a child under 10 years old, The Australian reported.

Griffith’s alleged victims include 91 underage girls he reportedly raped and abused between 2007 and 2022, the outlet said.

He was finally apprehended following an eight-year investigation, which culminated in authorities identifying him based on bedsheets seen in the back of child sex abuse material shared on the dark web, the Guardian reported.

Griffith was arrested by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in 2022, but his charges were detailed anonymously until Tuesday. Recently passed legislation in Australia allowed authorities to identify accused sex offenders after charges are filed publicly, The Australian explained.

Under the previous law, the defendants could not be named until they were officially awaiting trial due to concerns about “reputational damage,” the outlet said.

Griffith allegedly abused children at 10 day care centers in Brisbane, one in Sydney and one in Pisa, Italy, over a 15-year period, the outlet noted, citing the AFP.

Griffith allegedly recorded his abuses and then stored them in files, according to charging documents seen by The Australian.

At one point, he is believed to have raped two girls at a day care center over 24 times each, the outlet said. He is also accused of abusing seven different girls within a single month, the charge documents continue.

Authorities believe that all 87 of the Australian victims recorded on the incriminating material have been identified and their parents informed, the Guardian said.

“Law enforcement has been working very closely with all the relevant child care centers for the past year, and we thank them for their cooperation,” Australian Federal Police  Assistant Commissioner Justine Goughsaid said of the ongoing probe, per ABC News.

At the time of his arrest, Griffith worked as the director of a child care center in Brisbane, The Australian said.

“I love engaging children in meaningful experiences that inspire their play and learning,” his now-deleted staff profile read. “Young children are natural inquirers, exploring the world through their senses, seeking answers and building theories.”

Griffith started his career in child care in Brisbane before moving to Pisa in 2013, the outlet noted. He reportedly moved back to Australia in 2014 and returned to Brisbane in 2018 for “family reasons,” his profile said.

Griffith was investigated by Queensland authorities in 2021 and 2022, but no charges were filed despite one colleague claiming that she saw him kissing a child, The Australian explained.

His child care credentials were not revoked during either probe. He allegedly continued to offend up to two months before he was arrested, court documents indicated.

As of Wednesday, Griffith has not entered a plea, per the Guardian.

He is due before the Brisbane magistrates court on Nov. 6.