A High Court judge has concluded that disgraced former Conservative minister Andrew Griffiths raped his wife, Kate Griffiths, while she was asleep and subjected her to coercive control. The judgment, published on Friday, details a pattern of domestic abuse including physical assault, verbal abuse, and sexual coercion throughout their marriage.
Andrew Griffiths, who resigned as business minister in 2018 over sending explicit messages to constituents, 'adamantly denied' the allegations. However, Judge Elizabeth Williscroft found that he had raped his wife on 'a number of occasions' and used coercive behaviour to enforce submission, including threats of homelessness and financial abandonment. The court also found he had hit her, pushed her into a wall, put his hands around her neck, spat at her, and thrown food at her.
Kate Griffiths, who succeeded her husband as Conservative MP for Burton in East Staffordshire, supported the publication of the judgment and waived her right to anonymity. She said it was 'a positive step forward' in a legal battle that had taken a huge toll on her family, and she hoped to campaign for better outcomes for domestic violence victims. The judge described Kate Griffiths as 'a fair witness' who gave evidence without embellishment, while noting that Andrew Griffiths behaved in court 'like a politician responding to debate'.
The case began as an application by Andrew Griffiths in 2019 for contact with a child. Journalists from Tortoise Media and PA Media sought to publish the judgment, which Andrew Griffiths opposed, but the courts rejected his arguments. The findings were made on the civil standard of proof—the balance of probabilities—rather than the criminal standard. Neither Kate Griffiths nor her lawyer commented on whether a criminal complaint has been or will be made.
