Snapchat rape: Plea to other possible victims after man jailed
- Published
Rhodri Llyr Griffiths was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison
More potential victims have been urged to come forward after a man was jailed for raping a girl he met on Snapchat.
Rhodri Llyr Griffiths, 28, contacted the 13-year-old in 2023, using a fake profile and sent her sexual messages.
Griffiths, of Highland Gardens, Neath Abbey, was jailed for 10-and-a-half years after admitting sexual communication with a child, rape and other sexual offences.
Gwent Police said he had messaged other girls using fake names such as James.
On Thursday, Newport Crown Court heard his victim said she felt like her life had been "destroyed".
Griffiths was emotionless as Judge Daniel Williams told him he did not "accept for a moment you have any regret or remorse for what you did".
Griffiths offered the girl money and alcohol to carry out sexual acts on him and sent her a video of someone else that he pretended was him.
His victim told him where she lived and he offered to come and pick her up and it was only when she got into the car that she discovered that Griffiths was much older than he claimed.
She asked him to stop the car, but he refused and drove several miles to a car park where he told her to get in the back of his car.
Judge Williams said "she was so fearful if she didn't you may kill her" and the young girl "tried to get away but you screamed at her to stop".
When the attack was over, Griffiths drove the girl home. Within days, the girl told her mother and Griffiths was arrested.
Initially, he lied to police, saying there had been sexual contact but not sex.
In a victim impact statement, the girl's mother told the court that it was "every parent's nightmare".
She said her daughter scrubbed her skin until it was raw following the attack and had taken an overdose.
"As a mother, I can't fix her or take her pain away. That is torture," she added.
The girl's victim impact statement said: "Every time I look in a mirror I see him looking back at me like he did that night."
She said she had changed her appearance, and did not feel safe leaving home, adding: "I will never trust another man again".
Judge Williams described the girl's statement as "heartbreaking".
Rhodri Llyr Griffiths contacted the girl on Snapchat in October 2023
He told Griffiths that he presented "a high risk of serious harm" to girls and it was necessary to impose an extended sentence to protect the public.
The girl's family wept as the judge said that Griffiths planned the attack and had inflicted "severe psychological harm" on her.
As well as his prison sentence, Griffiths was given an extended licence period of five years and a sexual harm prevention order and restraining order were also imposed.
Gwent Police believe there are more victims and are appealing to anyone who they believe is a victim of Griffiths to contact them.
Det Con Georgia Dunne said: "Rhodri Griffiths is a dangerous man, and we welcome the sentence provided by the courts and hope that he uses this time to reflect on his actions."
A Snapchat spokesperson said after the hearing: "Any sexual exploitation of young people is abhorrent and our hearts go out to the victim in this case.
"We work in multiple ways to detect and prevent this type of abuse, offer confidential in-app reporting tools, and work with police to support investigations.
"We have extra protections in place for under-18s, including a pop-up warning that alerts teens if they are contacted by someone who they don't know.
"Our Family Centre tool also lets parents know if their teens add a new friend, and allows them to see who their teens are talking to."
- Published25 October 2019
- Published2 December 2021
