Two men charged with historic sex offences at Welsh children's centre
The alleged sexual and physical offences took place predominantly at the Coed Glas Assessment Centre, Abergavenny, between the 1970s and 1990s.
Angus Riddell, 69, of Cwmbach Rhondda Cynon Taf, has been charged with 38 offences, including three counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 16 and one count of attempted indecent assault on a girl under the age of 16.
He is also charged with 14 counts of indecent assault on a boy under the age of 14 and 20 counts of assault, ill-treatment, neglect, abandoning a child, or causing a young person unnecessary suffering or injury.
Robin Griffiths, 65, from Ebbw Vale in Blaenau Gwent, has been charged with seven counts of indecent assault on a boy under the age of 14.
Both men were arrested on Friday June 20 and have been now been bailed to appear before Newport Magistrates' Court on July 3.
The arrests come as part of Operation Spinney, which has been investigating reports made by men and women of sexual and physical abuse committed against them as children, predominantly at the former assessment centre.
The centre was the responsibility of the former Gwent County Council and has been closed since 1995.
Detective chief superintendent Andrew Tuck of Gwent Police said: 'A team of detectives has been working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service and local authorities as part of a long-running investigation into allegations of non-recent sexual offences relating to the former children's home in Abergavenny.
'This has resulted in us being able to charge two men for a number of sexual offences against children.
'We are committed to securing justice for the victims in this investigation and continue to support them alongside specialist agencies.
'We would ask for people to respect the judicial process and avoid online speculation on this case. This is to ensure the integrity of the investigation and court proceedings.
'We take all reports of child exploitation seriously and would urge anyone who has suffered abuse or has concerns about someone who may be suffering to come forward and speak to the police.
'We will listen to you and investigate all offences and also ensure you have access to any help or support you need.'
Hannah von Dadelszen, chief Crown prosecutor of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'The Crown Prosecution Service has received a full file of evidence from the Gwent Police and has authorised the investigation team to charge two defendants with multiple counts of child sexual offences.
'This charging decision was made by the Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, which has a team of specialist prosecutors to lead on these complex and sensitive cases.
'The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against these defendants are now active and that they have a right to a fair trial.
'It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Guardian
a day ago
- South Wales Guardian
Second man admits robbery in care home BMW crash case
Two elderly residents at Highcliffe Care Home, Witherwack, died following the crash which happened last month. Reece Parish, of Fordham Road, Sunderland, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court via a videolink from prison to admit robbery. He denied a kidnap charge relating to a woman who was in the BMW 3-series while he and co-accused Sam Asgari-Tabar took it for a test drive. Asgari-Tabar, of no fixed address, had previously admitted robbery and causing serious injury by dangerous driving to an elderly care home resident who suffered spinal fractures when the car smashed into the building, punching a large hole in the structure. Judge Robert Spragg said the men will be sentenced on October 17 and he remanded the pair in custody. He told them: 'You have both very sensibly pleaded guilty to these matters and you will be given credit for that from the sentencing judge in due course.' Christopher Knox, for Parish, said the defendant was 'regretful and apologetic' about what happened. At the time of the crash, Asgari-Tabar was subject to a suspended sentence imposed in May, the court heard. The Crown Prosecution Service indicated that it will not proceed with the kidnap charges against the pair and those alleged offences will lie on file. Northumbria Police were alerted to reports of a stolen car in Fenham, Newcastle, on the evening of July 10 and a suspect vehicle was spotted in the Sunderland area 15 minutes later. A pursuit then followed which ended with the BMW crashing into the care home, causing extensive structural damage to the building. Initially, Northumbria Police said eight residents required hospital treatment. Two days later, the force said a woman in her 90s and a woman in her 80s, neither of whom were in the eight taken to hospital, had died and police inquiries were ongoing. After the hearing, Chief Superintendent Mark Hall, of Northumbria Police, said: 'This was a shocking incident in one of our communities – the actions of both men that night were incredibly reckless. 'I am pleased the swift and diligent work of all involved in our investigation left them with no choice but to admit their guilt at court.' Northumbria Police confirmed on Tuesday that the two men will not face charges over the deaths of the two women. The force said: 'Following the incident, two care home residents died a short time later but no criminal proceedings are to be brought in relation to the deaths.'
North Wales Chronicle
a day ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Second man admits robbery in care home BMW crash case
Two elderly residents at Highcliffe Care Home, Witherwack, died following the crash which happened last month. Reece Parish, of Fordham Road, Sunderland, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court via a videolink from prison to admit robbery. He denied a kidnap charge relating to a woman who was in the BMW 3-series while he and co-accused Sam Asgari-Tabar took it for a test drive. Asgari-Tabar, of no fixed address, had previously admitted robbery and causing serious injury by dangerous driving to an elderly care home resident who suffered spinal fractures when the car smashed into the building, punching a large hole in the structure. Judge Robert Spragg said the men will be sentenced on October 17 and he remanded the pair in custody. He told them: 'You have both very sensibly pleaded guilty to these matters and you will be given credit for that from the sentencing judge in due course.' Christopher Knox, for Parish, said the defendant was 'regretful and apologetic' about what happened. At the time of the crash, Asgari-Tabar was subject to a suspended sentence imposed in May, the court heard. The Crown Prosecution Service indicated that it will not proceed with the kidnap charges against the pair and those alleged offences will lie on file. Northumbria Police were alerted to reports of a stolen car in Fenham, Newcastle, on the evening of July 10 and a suspect vehicle was spotted in the Sunderland area 15 minutes later. A pursuit then followed which ended with the BMW crashing into the care home, causing extensive structural damage to the building. Initially, Northumbria Police said eight residents required hospital treatment. Two days later, the force said a woman in her 90s and a woman in her 80s, neither of whom were in the eight taken to hospital, had died and police inquiries were ongoing. After the hearing, Chief Superintendent Mark Hall, of Northumbria Police, said: 'This was a shocking incident in one of our communities – the actions of both men that night were incredibly reckless. 'I am pleased the swift and diligent work of all involved in our investigation left them with no choice but to admit their guilt at court.' Northumbria Police confirmed on Tuesday that the two men will not face charges over the deaths of the two women. The force said: 'Following the incident, two care home residents died a short time later but no criminal proceedings are to be brought in relation to the deaths.'
Glasgow Times
a day ago
- Glasgow Times
Second man admits robbery in care home BMW crash case
Two elderly residents at Highcliffe Care Home, Witherwack, died following the crash which happened last month. Reece Parish, of Fordham Road, Sunderland, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court via a videolink from prison to admit robbery. He denied a kidnap charge relating to a woman who was in the BMW 3-series while he and co-accused Sam Asgari-Tabar took it for a test drive. A workman looks into the hole left by the vehicle (Owen Humphreys/PA) Asgari-Tabar, of no fixed address, had previously admitted robbery and causing serious injury by dangerous driving to an elderly care home resident who suffered spinal fractures when the car smashed into the building, punching a large hole in the structure. Judge Robert Spragg said the men will be sentenced on October 17 and he remanded the pair in custody. He told them: 'You have both very sensibly pleaded guilty to these matters and you will be given credit for that from the sentencing judge in due course.' Christopher Knox, for Parish, said the defendant was 'regretful and apologetic' about what happened. At the time of the crash, Asgari-Tabar was subject to a suspended sentence imposed in May, the court heard. The Crown Prosecution Service indicated that it will not proceed with the kidnap charges against the pair and those alleged offences will lie on file. Northumbria Police were alerted to reports of a stolen car in Fenham, Newcastle, on the evening of July 10 and a suspect vehicle was spotted in the Sunderland area 15 minutes later. A pursuit then followed which ended with the BMW crashing into the care home, causing extensive structural damage to the building. Initially, Northumbria Police said eight residents required hospital treatment. Two days later, the force said a woman in her 90s and a woman in her 80s, neither of whom were in the eight taken to hospital, had died and police inquiries were ongoing. After the hearing, Chief Superintendent Mark Hall, of Northumbria Police, said: 'This was a shocking incident in one of our communities – the actions of both men that night were incredibly reckless. 'I am pleased the swift and diligent work of all involved in our investigation left them with no choice but to admit their guilt at court.' Northumbria Police confirmed on Tuesday that the two men will not face charges over the deaths of the two women. The force said: 'Following the incident, two care home residents died a short time later but no criminal proceedings are to be brought in relation to the deaths.'
