Michael Griffin 59

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A paedophile who lured three young girls into his bedroom and sexually abused them has been jailed for eight-and-a-half years.

Michael Griffin, 42, (pictured right) was sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Friday after being found guilty of six counts of sexual assault on a child under 13 and two counts of possessing indecent images of children.

Outside the court a relative of one of the girls, who cannot be named, spoke of her relief.

She told the Evening Post: “No sentence will ever be long enough, but I feel relieved justice has finally been done for these children.

“He (Griffin) has been locked up and won’t be able to harm other children and put them through the suffering our family has been through.

Speaking about how the girls had been coping, she added: “They get very sad and tearful. I am worried about the long term effects but hopefully we can all get our lives back together.

“What he did to these children was horrendous. The devil comes in many disguises. I thought he was a nice person but got it all so badly wrong.”

The court had heard Griffin befriended the girls in Spencers Wood in the autumn of 2004 when they were aged between three and nine.

During the year he abused them as they watched television and played on a computer in his bedroom.

In one sinister game he would wrap them up in his duvet and reach up and touch them sexually.

The computer was later seized by police and found to contain more than 200 indecent images and video clips of children including penetrative sex between an adult and child.

Griffin told the court he had worked voluntarily as an administrator for an adult chatroom and became intrigued by child pornography following the Gary Glitter case.

Passing sentence, Judge Stanley Spence described Griffin as “a dangerous paedophile” who carried out a “despicable act” and was a serious risk to the public.

He said: “You forced all these girls to come into court and give evidence and subject them to being called liars reducing them to tears.”

Referring to the child pornography found on Griffin’s computer, he added: “I completely reject your ridiculous suggestion of research – you did it because you have an unhealthy interest in young girls.”

Griffin, of Pear Tree Lane, Newbury, was ordered never to be alone with a child under 16, including relatives, without parental presence.

He was also told never to contact the abused girls, and was barred from residing in or visiting Spencers Wood until his victims reached 16 years of age.

Griffin was further banned from any communication with a child including through the internet and working with children. He was placed on the sexual offenders’ register indefinitely.

After his sentence DC Jayne Payne, child protection officer at Thames Valley Police, said: “This sentence really reflects justice for these three delightful little girls. They came forward and gave evidence in court, which in itself is traumatic, but told the truth and the jury made the correct verdict.”