<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>328170</docID> <postdate>2024-09-02 13:38:51</postdate> <headline>Care worker pleads guilty to 28 rapes of young girls</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-328171" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20170704001310935729-original-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="568" /></p> <caption>It took more than two hours for the charges against Ashley Paul Griffith to be read out in court. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Rex Martinich</strong> in Brisbane</span></p> <p><strong>A former childcare worker has pleaded guilty to more than 300 child sex offences including 28 charges of rape as well as ongoing sexual abuse and making child exploitation material.</strong></p> <p>Ashley Paul Griffith faced Brisbane District Court on Monday for arraignment and replied "guilty" when each charge was read to Judge Anthony Rafter and a courtroom overflowing with victims' families and police detectives.</p> <p>The 46-year-old admitted to committing offences against multiple children while working in childcare centres across Brisbane between January 2008 and August 2022.</p> <p>Dressed in a striped polo shirt and jeans, the Gold Coast resident stood for two hours while the hundreds of charges were read one by one and he pleaded to each individually.</p> <p>Griffith was arrested in August 2022 by Australian Federal Police and originally charged with more than 1000 offences against 91 young girls, but hundreds of charges were later dropped.</p> <p>Crown prosecutor Stephanie Gallagher on Monday did not proceed with a further 13 charges of indecent treatment of a child under 12.</p> <p>Griffith pleaded guilty to 190 counts indecent treatment of a children aged under 12 while a carer, 67 counts of taking indecent photos and videos of children, and 15 counts of repeated sexual abuse of a child.</p> <p>He also admitted to multiple counts of possessing child exploitation material and distributing the material outside of Australia to locations in Italy.</p> <p>Ms Gallagher told Judge Rafter a pre-sentence report and psychiatric evaluation would be ready by November</p> <p>Defence barrister Sarah Cartledge submitted that sentencing should be delayed at least a month after the reports were provided.</p> <p>Judge Rafter adjourned the matter to September 9 to discuss a sentencing date.</p> <p>Griffith did not seek bail and was returned to custody.</p> </body>