West Bromwich pensioner jailed for child abuse over 45-year period
A pensioner who sexually assaulted girls as young as five over a 45-year period has been jailed for four years.
Eric Griffiths, from Hallam Street in West Bromwich, assaulted his first victim – a nine-year-old – at his home during sick 'games' as she sat on his lap in 1954.
In the mid-to-late 1960s he repeatedly assaulted two sisters – aged between five and 10-years-old – at his home address and in the vestry of a West Bromwich chapel where Griffiths worked as a caretaker.
And in the late 1990s Griffiths regularly abused an infant schoolgirl at an address in Stone Cross, telling her she would be 'taken away' if she reported the attacks.
Griffiths' catalogue of sex offences came to light in 2011 when one of the victims – now in her early 50s – confided the abuse to a counsellor and subsequently the police.
The 84-year-old was arrested in May 2011 and, after initially denying any sexual element in his contact with the girls, later admitted four counts of indecent assault.
At Wolverhampton Crown Court on January 13 Griffiths was jailed for four years and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.
Investigating officer, Dc Nadine Harding from West Midlands Police's Public Protection Unit, said: "It was a complex, time-consuming investigation: once allegations had been made against Griffiths we made efforts to trace other potential victims in Wales and New Zealand.
"Their testimonies supported a pattern of sexual abuse by Griffiths against young girls who were no doubt very confused and scared by what he was subjecting them to.
"These offences came to police attention decades after they were committed but, through our detailed enquiries, we were able to present a compelling case and the weight of evidence against Griffiths saw him eventually admit the offences having initially refuted them.
"This case emphasises it's never too late for victims to report sex abuse."
