Two men deny sex offences at Abergavenny children's centre
Mr Riddell has been charged with 38 offences, including three counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 16, and one count of attempting to indecently assault a girl under 16.He has also been charged with 14 counts of indecent assault on a boy under 14 and 20 counts of assault, ill-treat, neglect or abandoning a child or young person to cause unnecessary suffering or injury.Mr Griffiths, who now lives in Bideford, Devon, has been charged with seven counts of indecent assault on a boy under the age of 14 .The charges relate to 16 victims.Appearing at Newport Magistrates' Court on Thursday, the two men confirmed their names, dates of birth and addresses.
At the time the centre was the responsibility of the former Gwent County Council and has been closed since 1995.Det Ch Supt Andrew Tuck of Gwent Police previously urged the public to respect the judicial process and avoid online speculation on the case.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
26 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Teacher who 'swigged from alcohol-smelling drink as she swore at pupils and tried to get them to dance the Macarena' is struck off
A teacher who 'swigged' from a bottle containing an 'alcoholic-smelling drink' before swearing at pupils as she tried to get them to dance the Macarena has been struck off. Alice Ashton was 'smiley and happy' as she was 'swigging' from a bottle but then became 'agitated', swore, and made rude hand gestures, one teenager claimed. It was today found proven that she appeared under the influence and/or smelt of alcohol whilst at work. She was struck off the teaching register indefinitely but may reapply in two years. Giving evidence in person on the second day of a professional standards hearing the 16-year-old said Ashton drank orange liquid which smelled of alcohol throughout a personal and social education lesson. The normally quiet teacher at Ysgol Bro Caereinion in Welshpool played music from her laptop and was behaving out of character during the 'rave-like' lesson, the Education Workforce Council (EWC) Wales panel heard on Tuesday July 1. When the class became unsettled, Ashton shouted and swore at at least two pupils as well as telling the whole class they were 'little s***s', the remote hearing was told. The 16-year-old pupil, referred to only as Pupil H to protect her identity, told the panel how pupils discussed afterwards how odd the teacher's behaviour had been. She was later interviewed as part of an investigation by the school into the matter. The teenager said Ashton had taught her PSE numerous times before the lesson in January 2024 when she had behaved differently from usual. The pupil said Ashton's 'boring' PSE lessons followed content she was familiar with and included alcohol and drug awareness but not on that day. Sitting in the front row of the class Pupil H said she was near enough to smell alcohol, mixed with what appeared to be orange squash, contained in an Evian water bottle. The bottle was full at the start of the lesson and almost empty by the end, the pupil added. 'She was very, very close to us. There was a slight alcoholic smell,' they said. 'She was very, very lively and quite animated and speaking with her hands. In other lessons she was more reserved and quiet.' Pupil H continued: 'Alice Ashton had an Evian bottle with orange juice. I noticed she was regularly taking swigs from the bottle. Ashton faced the following allegations at the EWC hearing 1. On September 19, 2023, at Telford Magistrates' Court, was convicted of driving with an alcohol over the limit on August 19, 2023, and as a consequence was sentenced to a 12-month community order, 200 hours of unpaid work, and disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence for 28 months. 2. On or around January 17, 2024, appeared under the influence and/or smelt of alcohol whilst at work. 3. On one or more dates in or around January 2024 acted in an inappropriate and/or unprofessional manner towards and/or in front of pupil(s), in that she: a) said 'f***' and/or 's***', or words to that effect; and/or b) told pupil(s) to 'suck it' and/or 'f*** off', or words to that effect; and/or c) called pupil(s) 'divvys' and/or 'little s***s', and/or 'little bitch', or words to that effect; and/or d) did not allow Pupil G and/or Pupil J to leave the classroom; and/or e) in response to Pupil G saying he would 'snitch', you said 'be my guest, while you go we will slag you off', and/or 'don't snitch', or words to that effect; and/or; f) put her middle finger up and/or made a 'V' sign with your fingers at Pupil G. 'I recall Alice Ashton asked the class to make the Macarena. She played music and we were not doing work.' The teenager described how Ashton 'kept jumping up from her desk' but became 'irritated' as the lesson went on. One pupil, referred to as Pupil J, wanted to put a certain song on but the teacher didn't want him to and when he played it on her laptop, the teacher 'swore and yelled at him'. Another pupil, Pupil G, was walking around the classroom 'annoying' people before Ashton told him to go out of the room but warned him 'not to snitch'. 'She began to swear at him. She put her middle finger two to three inches from his face and continued to swear at him,' Pupil H told the committee. The teacher then turned her annoyance on the class, she claimed. 'Alice Ashton swore at the whole class because we became rowdy.' Ashton was not present and not represented at the hearing and did not make any responses to the raft of allegations she faces, which means the allegations would usually be taken as denied. But she did email the EWC last summer saying she was no longer working as a teacher, was no longer in Wales, and had moved to England. Some of the responses Ashton had given to the school's inquiry were also detailed by EWC presenting officer Lewis Harrison. He said that Ashton had denied swearing or singing to the class when interviewed by the inquiry. CCTV footage of the class was also shown to the committee in private. Describing what the footage showed, Mr Harrison said it was totally at odds with Ashton's denials to the school's investigation. He said Ashton had claimed she played music at the end of the lesson only and may have sung along to it quietly but 'I would not have been singing to the class'. Mr Harrison said this was 'untenable' given the CCTV footage. 'It is totally untenable to suggest the music is being played as background music. The evidence is very clear that Miss Ashton did not remain at the front of the class. She invited pupils to dance,' he told the hearing. Mr Harrison also described in more detail how other pupils had described what happened during the class during the school's investigation. One child, Pupil A, said: 'She (Ashton) was slipping with swear words, talking a lot less formally, and having been so irresponsible it felt like a mini rave with loud music, shouting, and dancing.' Pupil A added that Ashton was 'acting crazy', her walking was wobbly, and she was 'not acting like a teacher'. Another said: 'She got us to dance the Macarena and she did not care about the lesson anymore... she got some students dancing to the laptop and speakers and it spiralled out of control.' Another pupil described how Ashton had told Pupil G to 'sit the f*** down'. At the start of the hearing the panel was told by the school investigator that the orange liquid Ashton had was tested for alcohol by the school. But she had not taken that into consideration because the school did not have an alcohol testing policy. Mr Harrison said evidence from pupils was clear that the liquid Ashton was drinking during the lesson that day smelled of alcohol and that she was presenting as being under the influence and acting out of character. The panel must decide whether any or all the allegations are proved and, if so, whether individually or collectively they amount to unacceptable profession. Ysgol Bro Caereinion, a bilingual, all age school, has more than 500 pupils aged four to 16. The school opened in September 2021 following the merger of Ysgol Gynradd Llanfair Caereinion and Ysgol Uwchradd Caereinion.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Evil dad who abused boy, 10, so badly he lost both legs set to be freed from prison – days after vile mum also released
THE EVIL dad of brave double-amputee Tony Hudgell is set to be released from prison – just days after the youngster's birth mother was let out of jail, it can be revealed. A parole board hearing has decided Anthony Smith, 53, can be released after serving just seven years of his 10-year sentence. 5 5 5 He was jailed in 2018 after his baby son, Tony, now 10, was discovered to be in a critical condition having suffered a litany of terrible injuries. Medics had to remove the tot's legs below the knee. Tony, the youngest ever recipient of the British Empire Medal for his fundraising efforts, was only 41 days old at the time of the abuse and continues to suffer from the effects of his parent's cruelty. The decision comes in the same week Tony's cruel birth mum Jody Simpson, 33, was released from jail. A Parole Board summary of Smith's hearing revealed he will face strict license conditions upon his release, including wearing a GPS tag and a curfew. The panel heard that there would be extensive supervision of Smith under the proposed release plan. The panel concluded this plan would be 'robust enough to manage him in the community.' The summary said : 'After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody, the recommendations of the witnesses, and the evidence presented at the hearing, the panel was satisfied that imprisonment was no longer necessary for the protection of the public.' Other licence conditions include having to comply with other identified limitations concerning contacts, activities and residency to avoid contact with victims, and to protect children in general. He will also have to meet specified restrictions relating to the use of mobile phones. Tony's adopted mum Paula Hudgell, 57, does not believe the conditions go far enough. The anti-child cruelty campaigner from West Malling, Kent, said: 'Another of Tony's remorseless birth parents is now going to be living free - while the boy they harmed deals with life-long injuries. 'He will be on licence, and I appreciate that he will be monitored, but after that licence expires he will do what he did while on bail and disappear. 'We know he uses aliases, we know he is a danger to children and yet he won't be tracked past the expiration of his licence. 'In my opinion he has shown absolutely no remorse for what he did to Tony - none at all - he remains a dangerous, violent person. 'This is why I keep continuing the campaign to introduce the Child Cruelty Register so we can keep track of people who could do harm to more kids. 'It's not just about Smith or Simpson, it's about making sure child abusers are prevented from harming innocent children." Smith, along with Tony's birth mum Jody Simpson, 33, was convicted of causing or allowing a child to sustain an injury and neglect by failing to seek immediate medical attention and sentenced to 10 years in jail. Doctors discovered baby Tony had multiple catastrophic injuries to his tiny body - with both his birth parents failing to get him help before it was almost too late. Medical staff at Evelina London Children's Hospital saved the tot's life, but he had to have both legs amputated at the knee as a result of his injuries when he was four-years-old, and has faced countless operations in the years that followed. Simpson was released from prison earlier this week, after serving only around six years of her sentence. But after two years on licence she, like Smith, will face no conditions on her freedom. The evil mum was first released from prison on license in February 2023 - after only serving five years of her sentence. Then, less than a year later in May 2024, the monster was recalled to prison after starting a relationship with a sex offender - in breach of her conditions. She was due to be automatically re-released earlier this year, but Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood stepped in – forcing Simpson to face a parole hearing on May 19. The cruel parent has now been released, with strict license conditions controlling what she does for the next couple of years. She will have to report any new relationships to her probation officer, get regularly drug tested and will be GPS tagged. At the time, Paula said: 'It just feels very unfair that Simpson is now free to live her life and Tony is still dealing with the consequences of her actions and will be for life. 'I appreciate there is a prison overcrowding crisis and that the Parole Board has placed strict conditions on her, but it does not feel like enough. 'After her license expires in two years' time she will be completely free to do whatever she wants - including getting in a situation where she could cause harm to more children.' 5 5
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Ex-GP from Canterbury convicted of sex offences against patients
A former GP from Canterbury has been found guilty of a number of sexual offences on male patients, including two teenage boys, across almost two Manson, 56, committed the offences between 1994 and 2017 while examining male patients' genitals in his capacity as a GP, the jury was told during his trial. Manson, who denied all the charges, told Canterbury Crown Court that his medical examinations were "not sexually motivated at all".He will be sentenced on Friday, with Judge Simon Taylor KC warning Manson to expect a custodial term. The former GP was charged with 24 offences overall. Of those, he was convicted by majority verdict of 12 sexual assaults and four indecent assaults against nine was found not guilty of six offences, and two others were alternative charges which did not require verdicts. 'Rare diseases' examinations During the trial, prosecutor Jennifer Knight KC said "many examinations he performed were not medically justified"."In truth Dr Manson took frequent opportunities to examine patients' genitals, not because he needed to but because he wanted to," she earliest two victims were brothers, and he was their doctor before and after they were 16, the court older brother's medical notes suggests that he was seen 11 times between the ages of 14 and 19, and he said he remembered his genitals being examined on "over half" of those first complaint of sexual assault against Manson was filed in 2017, followed by an NHS England exercise which saw more alleged victims come told jurors that his motivation was to rule out rare diseases which he had misdiagnosed in the past. Jurors heard during the trial that Ian Wall, a professor of forensic medicine and GP, was "surprised" that Manson considered testicular examination part of a new patient was found to have taken limited notes on these examinations, which he denied was an attempt to hide his his conviction, Will Bodiam from the Crown Prosecution Service said Manson abused the trust between GP and patient "in an appalling way"."They described their discomfort at what happened to them and some of them actively tried to avoid seeing Manson because of their previous experiences with him," Mr Bodiam added.
