Man asked son to cut lock of murdered mum's hair

A man who murdered his pregnant wife in 1999 has been sentenced to three additional years in prison after he asked his son to cut off a lock of her hair to try to prove she was still alive.

The remains of 34-year-old Debbie Griggs were discovered in 2022, more than 20 years after she was was reported missing from her home in Deal, Kent, by her husband.

Andrew Griggs was found guilty of his wife's murder and jailed for life in October 2019 following a cold case review.

On Monday Canterbury Crown Court heard that Griggs had asked his son to take a lock of his mother's hair from her decomposing body and post it from abroad to support his lie that Mrs Griggs was still alive.

Kent Police said despite still claiming to be innocent of murder, Griggs had provided a detailed description of where her body had been hidden.

In March he had pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice.

No plea was entered for a charge of obstructing a coroner, which has been ordered to lie on file.

Kent Police said specialist officers and staff excavated the back garden of his home in St Leonards, Dorset, in October 2022, digging beneath the concrete base of what had previously been a lean-to shed.

A barrel-shaped container wrapped in blue tarpaulin was found with human remains inside that were later confirmed as belonging to Mrs Griggs.

Also inside the container was a pillow case and duvet, men's and women's clothing and the lining of a car boot, police said.

Wayne Cameron, Mrs Griggs' brother, said in a victim impact statement that their sister's disappearance had "devastated" the family.

He said the news of Griggs being charged with her murder came too late for their mother, who died in January 2019.

"Because Debbie had never been found, there was always just that smallest hope that she might just be out there somewhere," he said.

"We now know though that due to the actions of Griggs this wasn't the case and during all this time he knew exactly where she was."

He said the family's disbelief when told how her body had been found was "beyond anything we could have imagined".

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Simon James said Griggs would serve no more than half of the additional three-year sentence.

He said Griggs had made an effort "quite literally, to try and get away with the murder you had been convicted of committing".

"As far as efforts to pervert the course of justice go, this is about as desperate and serious an offence of its type as it is possible to imagine," he added.

Griggs' actions showed "just how conniving, devious and narcissistic" he was, according to the judge.

Katie Samways from the Crown Prosecution Service said: "Andrew Griggs spent decades lying to everyone around him, claiming that Debbie's disappearance was nothing to do with him.

"Once convicted of her murder, in a desperate attempt to prove his innocence, he tried to manipulate his son into helping him in the most appalling way possible."

She added that failing to reveal the location of Debbie's body added "immeasurably to the distress of her family and friends".

"None of us can imagine the impact that Griggs' actions have had on everyone around him," Ms Samways said.

"Now, more than 25 years after Debbie first disappeared, we hope that her family and friends can now finally put this chapter of their lives behind them, knowing Andrew Griggs has been fully held to account not just for Debbie's murder, but also for the lies he continually told in the intervening period."

Det Ch Insp Neil Kimber described Mrs Griggs as a "devoted mother whose love for her three children was never in doubt".

He added: "'The fact he asked a family member to dig up her remains shows what a callous and selfish person he is, sparing little to no thought as to the deeply devastating effect such an act would likely have on that person."

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