Convicted killer Andrew Griggs, 62, has admitted to a shocking new plot: he asked his son to dig up the body of his pregnant wife in a desperate bid to clear his name and dodge prison. Griggs is already serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of Debbie Griggs, who was just four months pregnant when she disappeared from their Deal, Kent home.
At the time, Debbie was 34 and a mother to three young boys aged 18 months, four, and six.
Twisted Lies and Dark Secrets
Griggs spun a web of lies, claiming Debbie had left him with post-natal depression – an impossible story as she hadn’t given birth and had no history of the condition. He painted her as an abandoning mother, all while carrying on an affair with a 15-year-old girl and confessing to friends he wished his wife were dead.
Despite his 2019 conviction, Debbie’s remains weren’t found until 2022. Police excavated the garden of a house in St Leonards, Dorset, where Griggs resettled in 2001 and rebuilt his life.
Elaborate Jailhouse Scheme Uncovered
At Canterbury Crown Court, Griggs admitted to perverting the course of justice. While locked up at HMP Isle of Wight from 2019 to 2022, he pressured one of his sons to dig up Debbie’s body and send a hair sample abroad. He even orchestrated a forged letter “from Debbie” to convince police she was still alive.
“He pleaded guilty to attempting to subvert the justice system,” the court heard. He faces additional charges for obstructing a coroner, though he has yet to enter a plea on that.
Family Torn Between Hope and Horror
Even after the murder conviction, Griggs’ sons believed their father was innocent and launched a 2020 Facebook search campaign to find their mother, unaware her body lay buried beneath their childhood garden.
Investigators had scant evidence initially – just a small blood smear in Debbie’s abandoned car, missing boot linings, and carpet pieces. After relocating and seemingly starting fresh with a model ship business and a new marriage, Griggs stayed under the radar until cold case detectives reopened the file in 2019.
His appeals were dismissed in July 2022, and a few months later Debbie’s remains were finally uncovered, offering her family a mournful closure.
At a March 2023 inquest, the coroner ruled that due to decomposition, Debbie’s exact cause of death may never be known.
Sentence Looms for New Offence
Griggs faces sentencing later this year for his role in trying to derail justice. This grim chapter of lies, murder, and manipulation has rattled communities for over 20 years—and it’s far from over.
Originally published by UKNIP.
