Man made friend strip before 'parading' him through Welsh village naked
Swansea Crown Court heard that Karl Griffiths, 42, attacked his friend and the friend's partner during a gathering at a flat in Penclawdd on January 30.
Griffiths, who the judge said was likely under the influence of alcohol or drugs, had taken the phones of the friend and his partner and accused them of stealing from him.
The prosecuting lawyer said he then beat them using crutches while shouting abuse at the couple.
Griffiths then 'demanded' that his friend take his clothes off and told him they were 'going for a walk,' the prosecutor said.
He proceeded to force his naked friend outside and 'essentially paraded him naked around the streets' in the middle of the village.
The ordeal was filmed by onlookers in the village, before continuing when they returned to the flat, the court heard.
Griffiths then smashed a TV and called police, saying: 'Someone better come and get me, I'm going to kill someone'.
He was arrested and told police he had gone to his friend's flat after arguing with his mother.
Griffiths admitted to giving his friend 'a clip' and hitting him with 'a few punches'.
In an impact statement which was read to the court by the prosecution barrister, the victim said the experience had a massive impact on his mental health and left him feeling unsafe in his own home.
But he added that while what the defendant did to him and his partner was 'not right' he did not support the prosecution.
Griffiths had previously pleaded guilty to battery, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, criminal damage, and kidnapping when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.
The court heard he has a 'substantial criminal history' including non-domestic burglaries, dishonesty matters, weapons offences, and supplying Class A drugs. More Trending
James Hartson, acting for Griffiths, said whatever grievance the defendant may have had with his friend it 'could not remotely justify the level of humiliation and violence' handed out.
He said he had seen the mobile phone footage of the incident and said it was clear the victim was distressed as 'he was marched through the centre of Penclawdd in a state of undress'.
Judge Huw Rees said Griffiths' behaviour had been 'irrational' and probably done under the influence of drink and drugs, but added it was clear from references he had read that other people thought well of the defendant and regarded him as a 'kindly man'.
Griffiths was was sentenced to 31 months in prison. His barrister said he hoped his friend could eventually forgive him.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: Afghan veteran warns data breach poses shadow threat 'for years to come'
MORE: Three minutes cut from 'raw' prison footage of the night Epstein died
MORE: Serial killer about to be executed in Florida has surprising last words
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
11 hours ago
- Metro
'Gangster gran' banned from Asda for 'yellow sticker scam' vows to clear name
A 'gangster granny' accused of being the mastermind of an elaborate supermarket discount scam is fighting back against the allegations of Gran Theft Auto. Jan Rhodes, 67, was barred from her local Asda on Hall Road, in Norwich after allegedly operating a yellow sticker scam. The supermarket claims to have caught her red-handed swapping reduced stickers on products in the store. They handed a three-year ban to Jan, who has shopped at the superstore since 2015. She is now clapping back, claiming Asda have 'got the wrong gran'. Jan told the Eastern Daily Press: 'I went in to buy three things and while I was there, the security came up to me and said I wasn't allowed in anymore. I've never done that [switch stickers]. 'I'm angry and I'm upset. I used to go in there all the time. I know loads of them in there. I just want to prove them wrong.' The scheme she is accused of involves swapping reduced labels on products to net cheap deals, all before fleeing on her mobility scooter. The beef revolves in part around a pack of bacon. Jan is alleged to have bought the meat the day before she was banned as part of her yellow sticker trick. But her husband Rob says she bought the pack on the same day it was expiring. He went back to the store to try and show the expiration date in an effort to clear her name. The gran's stepdaughter, Leanne Hutchings, has rushed to the store to plead her stepmother's case. More Trending Leanne said: 'They say she's been doing it for a prolonged period of time. 'I explained saying that this is a case of mistaken identity. They also said she's been abusive. She would never be nasty to someone.' A spokesman for Asda said: 'We ask all customers to treat our colleagues and stores with respect and do not tolerate any form of abuse. 'While banning a customer is always a last resort, this decision was taken due to repeated disruptive and abusive behaviour.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Little-known way to get half-price food from Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons and more MORE: Asda fined £650,000 for selling more than 100 out-of-date food items MORE: Forget about Prosecco — drink this £6.97 sparkling wine from Asda instead
Scottish Sun
14 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Brits to be blocked from adult content TONIGHT with booze-style ID or face-scan checks replacing ‘ridiculous' tickbox
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MILLIONS of Brits will be blocked from adult content online at midnight tonight unless they pass booze-style age checks. The new rules mean you'll need to prove you're over 18 – including by showing ID or scanning your face with a phone. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 New online rules aim to stop youngsters being exposed to dodgy online content Credit: Getty It affects any websites showing porn, or content linked to self-harm, suicide, or eating disorders. This includes social media apps too. The new Ofcom rules enforce the Online Safety Act, and kick in on Friday, July 25. 'It's really the rubber hitting the road,' Oliver Griffiths, group director for online safety at Ofcom, told The Sun. 'The situation at the moment is often ridiculous because people just have to self-declare what their birthday is. That's no check at all.' Major websites like PornHub, X (formerly Twitter), and Reddit have already vowed to follow the rules. Reddit will remain open, but will require an age check if you attempt to view adult content on the site. Shockingly, around 8% of children aged eight to 14 have accessed online porn in a given month, Ofcom says. Boys are more likely to visit than girls (at 19% vs 11%). Now Ofcom can crack down on this behaviour, by blocking youngsters from accidentally stumbling on all kinds of adult content – not just porn. 'One is pornography. The other one is making sure that we've got highly effective age assurance in place for things that aren't illegal but are highly harmful for children,' Griffiths said, speaking to The Sun. 'So that could be suicide content, self-harm, or eating disorders. Don't risk ignoring four free iPhone tricks built to save your life 'And we will be starting an enforcement programme next week if there are websites dedicated to that who haven't got proper age gates in place for midnight tonight.' CHECK YOURSELF There are three main ways that Brits will be asked to prove their age. The first one is called an 'age estimation'. This can work by scanning your face with an approved third-party service like Yoti or Persona. 3 Yoti is one of the tools that can be used to estimate a user's age Credit: Free for editorial use Or it could be estimating your age with an email check that examines if it's been linked to a household utility bill. The second option is linking back to info that's held on you. For instance, it could be checking with your bank or mobile phone company – both of which would already know if you're an adult or not. A simple computer handshake works out if you're a child or not, and then you can be cleared for access if you get the go-ahead. The third method is sharing an official document – a bit like showing your ID at the till in a supermarket. You might be asked to show your passport or driver's license online. SAFE SPACE? This might all sound like a privacy nightmare, especially if you're watching X-rated content online. But the adult websites don't actually get the personal info about you. 3 Ofcom has warned that too many children are being exposed to adult content online Credit: Getty And the age-checking services aren't learning what kind of content you're trying to view either. The age-check is compliant with data protection, and simply gives the adult website a 'yes' or 'no' for your account. You'll remain anonymous and won't have your online habits linked to your identity when you do oe of these checks. Griffiths noted: 'The key bit of information that's needed is purely: is this user a child or not?' Companies are able to choose the method they want – but they can't opt out. If they breach the new rules, they face massive fines. 'These can lead, in the end, to fines of up to 10% of qualifying global revenue for these companies,' Griffiths said. 'So there's real teeth that sit behind this." THE SHOCKING STATS Latest figures show the scale of adult content consumption online... Ofcom stats: Around 8% children aged 8-14 in the UK visited an online porn site or app in a month. 15% of 13–14-year-olds accessed online porn in a month. Boys aged 13-14 are the most likely to visit a porn service, significantly more than girls the same age (19% vs 11%). Our research tells us that around three in ten (29%) or 13.8m UK adults use porn online. Pornhub is the most used site in the UK – Ofcom research says 18% (8.4m) visited it in one month. Children's Commissioner stats: Of the 64% who said that they had ever seen online pornography: The average age at which children first see pornography is 13 . By age nine, 10% had seen pornography, 27% had seen it by age 11 and half of children who had seen pornography had seen it by age 13. . By age nine, 10% had seen pornography, 27% had seen it by age 11 and half of children who had seen pornography had seen it by age 13. We also find that young people are frequently exposed to violent pornography, depicting coercive, degrading or pain-inducing sex acts; 79% had encountered violent pornography before the age of 18 . . Pornography is not confined to dedicated adult sites. We found that Twitter was the online platform where young people were most likely to have seen pornography. The maximum fine is £18 million – but a company can be charged an even higher sum of 10% of global revenue. This is aimed at targeting giant web companies who may be in breach of the rules. DODGY DEALINGS Of course, some youngsters will go out of their way to dodge the checks. It's possible to skirt the ban using a VPN, or Virtual Private Network. These easily-downloaded apps scramble your internet data to boost your privacy from online spies. But they also let you trick websites and apps into thinking you're logging on from another country. Ofcom insiders admit there's no way to stop this – but that doesn't make the new rules redundant. 'Our research shows that these are not people that are out to find porn – it's being served up to them in their feeds,' Griffiths explained. 'And we think that these measures are going to have a really big impact in terms of dealing with that particular problem. Using parental controls and having conversations, feels a really important part of the solution. Oliver Griffiths 'There will be teenagers – dedicated teenagers – who want to find their way to porn, in the same way as people find ways to buy alcohol under 18. They will use VPNs. 'And actually, I think there's a really important reflection here. It's not just us, in terms of making life safer online. 'Parents having a view in terms of whether their kids have got a VPN, and using parental controls and having conversations, feels a really important part of the solution.' Another fear around the new rules is that by blocking unverified Brits from mainstream sites, they'll seek out adult content in more extreme corners of the web. But Ofcom says the porn industry is aware of this, and is working to get everyone on board. 'This was certainly a concern that when we were working with the adult sector,' Griffiths told us. 'The big sites were saying, well if we age-assure here, then won't that just divert traffic to darker corners. 'And I think it was that sort of sense that everybody needed to move together. 'That's allowed us to get to the position where we've got 6,000 websites hosting porn that are going to have age-assurance in place as of midnight.'
Pembrokeshire Herald
15 hours ago
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Rise in Welsh shoplifting sparks union concern for retail staff safety
A WHISTLEBLOWER has alleged that a senior officer at HMP Parc made violent threats against prison reform campaigner Zack Griffiths during a formal job interview. The comments, which included claims that officers 'up and down the country' were 'ready to kill' Mr Griffiths, were allegedly made in May during an interview for the role of prison officer. The whistleblower, Kirsten Myles, says the officer also falsely claimed that Mr Griffiths was a registered sex offender. According to the testimony, when challenged by another staff member, the officer doubled down on the remarks and responded with 'visible hostility,' reportedly saying: 'F* no**,' when asked if Mr Griffiths was currently housed at Parc. Ms Myles shared the statement publicly via a redacted document and a post in the HMP Prisons Justice Group, a Facebook group with over 6,000 members. She claimed she withdrew from the application process as a result of what she witnessed, stating: 'I cannot, in good conscience, work within a system where such behaviour is displayed without accountability.' Zack Griffiths held at HMP Swansea Zack Griffiths, 35, is a former inmate at HMP Parc who has since become a prominent campaigner for prison reform. He is currently in custody at HMP Swansea following his recall to prison earlier this year. He previously served a sentence after sharing a video from inside Parc Prison, which showed a violent restraint involving a staff member. In April, he was arrested again while attending Cardiff Crown Court. Charges of malicious communications have since been dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service, but one charge relating to the unauthorised prison footage remains active. Griffiths founded the HMP Prisons Justice Group and has led protests outside Parc highlighting concerns over inmate deaths, drug abuse, and alleged staff misconduct. Parc Prison, Bridgend (Pic: Herald) Prison responds: Claims 'unsubstantiated' HMP Parc has issued a formal response denying the whistleblower's claims. In a brief statement to The Herald, a prison spokesperson said: 'Ms Myles' claims have been thoroughly investigated and found to be unsubstantiated.' G4S also say that Ms Myles was not withdrawn from the recruitment process as she claimed. G4S added: 'Ms Myles was unsuccessful in her application and did not withdraw from the process voluntarily. This decision was made prior to her raising concerns.' Growing scrutiny at HMP Parc Prison officers prepare to enter a cell during a training exercise. HMP Parc, operated by private security firm G4S, has been subject to growing scrutiny over the past year. At least 25 inmates are believed to have died in the prison since 2023. Several staff are under investigation or have been arrested in connection with ongoing misconduct allegations. The Herald understands that formal complaints have been lodged regarding the comments alleged in the leaked statement. Ms Myles' post online has drawn significant attention and reignited debate about the culture and accountability of privately run prisons. Campaigners express concern Tom Blewitt of UK Prisons for Justice told The Herald: 'We are deeply concerned after hearing the remarks senior officers at HMP Parc have made regarding Zack. 'These comments show a total lack of regard for his welfare. 'As a group, we are worried for his safety and hearing this only intensifies that concern.'
