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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Kit Roberts

Vicious attack saw blood-soaked dad and daughter bite victim's face after he passed out

A father and daughter carried out a sickening attack on a man involving biting the victim and stabbing him with a knife used to carve their Sunday dinner.

Paul Griffin knocked the victim unconscious outside his daughter Hollie's home and then began to rain down blows as victim Gareth Rowlands lay unconscious in the street.

Daughter Hollie Griffin had hacked at Rowlands' legs with a knife which her dad had been using to prepare a Sunday roast.

In a shocking development, Paul Griffin had finished the assault by biting the unconscious victim on the face before kicking him in the head so hard his flipflop had flown off and smashing his head into the ground.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the altercation had happened following a heated verbal exchange on June 20 2022 between Mr Rowlands and his attackers which lasted several minutes and was filmed by neighbours.

Mr Rowlands, 38, had turned up "appearing drunk and aggressive" at the address, and had struck out at Paul Griffin with a can of drink, the Liverpool ECHO reports.

The 46-year-old defendant, of Ribblesdale Close in Eastham, responded by swinging a retaliatory punch which knocked him out instantly, but the footage, which was played to the court, then showed the parent and child then begin an onslaught of violence.

Stella Hayden, prosecuting, described how Paul Griffin "directed numerous blows" towards him as 28-year-old Hollie "struck him to the legs with a knife repeatedly".

The former had been making a roast dinner prior to the incident and had taken kitchen knife outside with him, dropping it at one point before it was picked up by his daughter.

He then bit Mr Rowlands in the face with such severity that his "head rose from the floor".

His head was then "slammed to the floor twice" before Mr Griffin delivered "a kick to the head" as he walked away - his flip flop flying off his foot and down the street as he delivered this final blow.

The incident was reported to the police, and officers discovered Mr Rowland lying in the street with a "pool of blood" around his head.

He was rushed to Aintree Hospital, where it was discovered that he had suffered fractured eye sockets.

The joiner and dad-of-three is no longer able to work as a result, and will be left permanently scarred as a result of the attack.

He is still awaiting further surgery on his facial injuries, with wounds on his leg having required stitches.

The Griffins, who were stood nearby "covered in blood" when police arrived, were arrested, with the dad claiming to have acted in self-defence under interview.

Hollie Griffin, who appeared via video link to HMP Styal, has 17 previous convictions for 31 offences.

She was told off by the judge for vaping in the booth while the hearing was about to start, but later held her head in her hands during the sentence.

Anna Duke, defending, said: "This young lady was in the comfort and safety of her own home. The complainant had issues with her.

"They are not known to each other and she had no issues with him. Quite clearly, the initial knock on the door seemed to be aggressive and confrontational.

"Her dad seems to have been assaulted and she overreacted in the worst possible way.

"The camera doesn't lie, but you don't know what's going on behind the scene in relation to someone's mental health.

"There is no defence in this case. But it gives some explanation to how this young lady behaved in such an untoward way on the day in question."

Paul Griffin, who appeared on video from HMP Altcourse, has a total of 14 convictions for 26 offences. He was last before the courts for assault occasioning actual bodily harm in 2014 after attacking a man during a road rage incident.

Bernice Campbell, appearing on behalf of the railways supervisor, told the court that his son had died in a crash in 2018. She added: "He has not dealt with his grief and he is still struggling with it.

"Mr Griffin constantly tried to stop his daughter from getting involved. He was saying what he was going to do to his daughter - he was going to slash her and burn her house down.

"It was only when struck, that was the starting point - that was the flashpoint. He was trying to keep his cool.

"It was the first strike that made this all explode. It is quite clear Mr Griffin lost it."

Both Griffins admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of a bladed article in a public place. Hollie Griffin was jailed for 40 months, with Paul handed six years.

Sentencing, Judge Clement Goldstone KC said: "This was revenge, pure and simple, and a complete and utter loss of temper. It was gratuitous and wanton violence."

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