A CEREDIGION man has been sentenced to six years in prison for twice raping a 12-year-old girl almost a decade ago.
Nathan Griffiths, aged 33, of Golwg y Castell, Cardigan, denied two counts of rape and put his victim through a six-day trial at Swansea Crown Court.
However, the jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on all counts following a just under five hours of deliberations on Tuesday, July 18th.
In 2014, Griffiths twice isolated the young girl by inviting her to play video games before attacking her.
Griffiths – who was 23 at the time – developed an infatuation with her – sending unwanted gifts and repeated messages on social media. When she blocked him, he created new accounts, named after the girl and her associates, to try and message her.
In March 2020 police received a report of the rapes and launched an investigation.
Griffiths was voluntarily interviewed on two occasions. He denied all allegations against him, insisting they were lies.
But following an intensive investigation by Ceredigion CID, Griffiths was charged in July 2022.
Senior investigating officer DI Adam Cann said the trial had been listed for three days but ran to six.
“Griffiths maintained his innocence throughout, introducing last minute defences which the officer in the case had to swiftly look into with the help of specialist departments in the force,” he said.
“I would like to thank everyone involved in the investigation and trial for their hard work to ensure we secured justice for the victim.”
Griffiths was back at Swansea Crown Court for sentencing on October 25 when he was handed six years in prison.
“Nothing could take away what Griffiths inflicted on her, but we hope this sentence gives her some comfort and enables her to begin to move on with her life.
“To anyone who has been subjected to a similar attack, we urge you to speak to us.
“We will listen to you and work to get justice for you as we have with this victim.”
If you have been a victim of a crime, you can report it to Dyfed-Powys Police, either online at: https://bit.ly/DPPContactOnline, by emailing 101@dyfed-powys.police.uk, or by calling 101.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired text the non-emergency number on 07811 311 908.
Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555111, or visiting crimestoppers-uk.org.
Support and advice is also available at https://bit.ly/reportsexualoffences
