Markets 
Rex Martinich
One of Australia’s worst paedophiles, former childcare worker Ashley Paul Griffith, has failed in his bid to reduce the life sentence he received for hundreds of sex offences against young children.
Lawyers for the notorious 48-year-old predator in May argued in the Queensland Court of Appeal the 27‑year non-parole period he was handed in 2024 was “manifestly excessive” as they sought leave to appeal.
Justice David Boddice on Friday handed down the Court of Appeal’s decision to dismiss the appeal during a brief sitting in Brisbane.
“The appeal against sentence is refused,” he said.
Griffith pleaded guilty to 307 child-sex offences against 65 victims aged from one to nine.
It included 28 counts of rape against girls mainly aged three to five at Queensland childcare centres between 2007 and 2022.
One of the victims and her family were in court to hear the decision being handed down.
The appeal was focused on the parole eligibility date, with the defence arguing while a life sentence was open, the minimum term effectively imposed a harsher punishment than in similar cases of extreme child sex offending.
Barrister Sarah Cartledge told the panel of three justices during a May hearing that Griffith’s crimes were “truly awful” and he had preyed upon “the most vulnerable” while in a position of trust.
Cartledge said Griffith had co-operated fully and openly since his arrest, giving about 18 hours of interviews.
“His extensive co-operation and guilty plea saved an enormous amount of court time and spared child complainants from giving evidence,” she said previously.
Prosecutors in May urged the justices to reject the appeal, saying the sentence barely reflected the scale and cruelty of the crimes.
Throughout two decades of preying on children, Griffith filmed all but one of his victims, building a vast cache of abuse he shared online.
When detectives raided his Gold Coast home in 2022, they seized more than 4000 child abuse images and videos documenting much of his offending.
The conclusion of Griffith’s appeal clears the path for him to face court proceedings in NSW, where he is accused of committing 180 sex offences against more than 20 children.
AAP
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