Killer husband sentenced after attempting to clear his name
Andrew Griggs claimed his pregnant wife had walked out of their home in Deal - he had murdered her and hidden her body beneath the property he’d moved to in Dorset.
The remains of a loving mother reported missing in 1999 were finally discovered following a shameless attempt by her killer husband to clear his name.
Andrew Griggs claimed his pregnant wife Debbie had walked out of their home in Cross Road, Deal when in fact he had murdered her and hidden her body.
He was jailed for life in 2019 following a cold case investigation by Kent Police and three years later Debbie’s remains were found buried beneath the property Griggs had moved to in Dorset.
Despite still claiming to be innocent of murder, Griggs had provided a family member who visited him in prison with a detailed description of where Debbie’s body had been hidden.
He then asked them to dig up her remains, remove a strand of hair, take it abroad and post it back to the UK with a letter pretending to be from Debbie to prove she was still alive.
Griggs was subsequently charged with perverting the course of justice and obstructing a coroner in the execution of their duty.
He pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and at Canterbury Crown Court on Monday 2 June was ordered to serve an additional three years in prison.
No plea was entered for the charge of obstructing a coroner, which has been ordered to lie on file.
Acting on the information received from the family member who had visited Griggs in prison, specialist officers and staff excavated the back garden of his home in St Leonards, Dorset, in October 2022.
Following the directions Griggs had provided, they dug beneath the concrete base of what had previously been a lean-to shed and discovered a barrel-shaped container wrapped in blue tarpaulin. Inside were human remains that were later confirmed as belonging to Debbie.
Also inside the container was a pillow case and duvet, men’s and women’s clothing and the lining of a car boot.
When Griggs was interviewed about the discovery, he declined to answer any questions but delivered a pre-prepared statement in which he maintained he was not responsible for Debbie’s death.
He instead claimed he found a body inside a container in someone else’s garden that he assumed was Debbie, around two years after he had reported her missing.
He said he panicked and encased the container in fibreglass before someone else buried it, and although he suspected it was beneath his garden shed he did not know for sure.
Kent Police detectives found the following evidence that further proved Andrew had been responsible for disposing of Debbie’s body:
• The car boot liner found inside the container was an exact match of the one missing from Debbie’s Peugeot 309. The vehicle had been found a mile from the home address in Deal during the initial investigation into Debbie’s whereabouts, and was found to contain a small trace of her blood. It is believed Andrew wrapped the clothing he was wearing when he killed Debbie in the boot liner before placing them on top of her inside the container.
• Andrew told police in 1999 that on the day of Debbie’s disappearance he came home from work, had a bath and changed into a white T-shirt and grey jogging bottoms. Such clothing was found inside the container.
• Old family photographs taken inside Andrew and Debbie’s bedroom were found during a search of his Dorset home in 2023. The duvet cover shown in the photo was the same as that found inside the container.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil Kimber said: ‘Debbie Griggs was a devoted mother whose love for her three children was never in doubt, and it is inconceivable that she would have ever walked out on them.
‘Her husband Andrew has known this ever since he first reported her missing, by which point he had already brutally murdered Debbie and hidden her body. He then continued to lie and manipulate others even after her remains were eventually discovered, making up further ridiculous stories that are an insult to Debbie’s memory and to everyone who continues to mourn her loss.
‘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.
‘Andrew Griggs is already serving a life sentence for Debbie’s murder but our investigation into these further offences was about more than achieving another positive court outcome. It was about securing justice for Debbie and her family and friends, and ensuring the general public know exactly the lengths Griggs was willing to go to in order to escape the consequences of his disgusting actions.
‘I hope Debbie’s family and friends can take some comfort from the outcome of this case, which is testament to the hard work and determination of Kent Police’s cold case detectives and everyone who has worked on this case over many years.’