A child victim of sexual abuse has condemned the CPS for not charging a now-convicted paedophile in 1996.

Holly Marie Grady-Ellis says a second young girl would not have fallen victim to serial paedophile Benjamin Griffiths if Holly’s case had been taken seriously.

In 1996 Holly was eight years old and had bravely gone to the police about repeated sexual assault she had suffered from Griffiths of 61 North Parade, a ‘church figure’ from Aberystwyth.

However the CPS chose not to charge Griffiths, citing a lack of evidence.

Griffiths went onto be convicted of raping a nine-year-old girl in 2004, sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.

Last year, Holly finally got justice, seeing her childhood abuser go behind bars after she requested her case be reopened.

She is now seeking reparations from the Crown Prosecution Service for their historic decision not to charge Griffiths.

CPS issued an apology to her, stating the decision had been wrong, but denying any liability.

Holly, now a 37-year-old writer, said she would not have endured the severe mental health difficulties following the abuse if she had been recognised as a victim by the CPS, which led to years of self-harm and repeated suicide attempts.

She said: “The nine-year-old girl wouldn’t have become a victim if they’d taken me seriously - Griffiths would have been in prison, people would have known.

“That girl will never be the same again, and it’s because they let him go free.

“My family wouldn’t have been chased out of our home for being called liars.

“I still would have had to deal with the abuse, but I would have had the support of being recognised as a victim.

“Because the CPS did nothing, my mum and I were left to fend for ourselves.

“By not accepting liability, CPS are sending a message - so many victims will feel completely abandoned by the justice system.

“They are supposed to put away predators, and they messed up - an apology is not going to cut it.”

In July 1996, Griffiths was introduced to Holly’s family near Aberystwyth as a figure from the church.

He offered to babysit, visiting them with gifts of alcohol for Holly’s mum and Mars bars for her, until one day, he slept over.

This began one of “at least” six occasions when he sexually assaulted Holly.

When Holly reported him to the police with the help of her mum that October, Griffiths described the claims as a “conspiracy by [Holly’s] mother and partner”.

Griffiths gave police a counterclaim, “raising concerns with the authorities about the care Holly and her sister [aged 2] were receiving,” according to police files.

This was used as a key reason for not charging Griffiths with any crimes in 1997 according to the CPS, along with the “main evidence coming from an eight-year-old, where there was background information that provided a motive for lying” and without independent evidence outside of Holly’s family.

CPS said the Principal Crown Advocate concluded on balance that “it was his view that we would not be able to successfully prosecute the case”.

According to Holly, after the case was dropped by the CPS, Griffiths painted her family as liars, telling the community the abuse came from Holly’s mum's partner, “turning their friends against them” and forcing the family to flee into poverty.

Her mum developed an addiction as a coping mechanism, and Holly fell into alcohol abuse “to numb the emotions” and an abusive relationship, thinking it was “what she deserved”.

She said she grew up deeply mistrustful, carrying the guilt of having “ruined” her family’s lives by speaking out.

She had no idea about the other case that had put her abuser behind bars in 2004 until four years ago.

Holly became sober in 2021 and, after tracing the start of her troubles back to Griffiths, Googled him to find the articles covering his 2004 trial, in which he made international headlines by going on the run to Germany.

Holly bravely requested her case be reopened, and last year Griffiths, now 83, was put back behind bars for three years for six counts of sexual offences using the same evidence Holly had given to the police in 1996 - sentenced in September 2024.

This is when Holly turned to the second injustice - CPS dropping her case.

After CPS accepted no liability, Holly began legal proceedings against the organisation this January.

After pursuing legal action against the CPS for breaches of Article’s three, six and eight of the Human Rights Act (freedom from torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, right to a fair trial, right to private and family life), CPS responded that the organisation were not responsible for duties under the Human Rights Act in 1997, because the Act did not come into effect until 1998.

Accused of negligence, the CPS responded: “The CPS denies liability in respect of any claim for negligence as the CPS does not owe a duty of care to victims.”

The apology from CPS, written by District Crown Prosecutor for the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit in Wales Mandy Tobias, began by thanking Holly for the “strength” she displayed in supporting the prosecution in Griffiths trial last year, continuing: “It was through your strength and determination that it was possible to bring the defendant to justice and receive a period of imprisonment.

“This would not have been achieved without you, and I thank you for this...

“I acknowledge that the decision made not to charge the defendant in 1996 will have had a significant impact upon you both as a child and as an adult.

“I also appreciate that recounting the events at various stages of the investigation and prosecution process over many years must have been extremely traumatic for you.

“The decision reached in 1996 was based upon CPS guidance and practices at the time.

“These have significantly changed since 1996, and we continue to aim to improve our service to victims of sexual offences.

I accept on behalf of the CPS that the decision not to charge the defendant in 1996 was wrong.

“Please accept my unreserved apology for the distress that the decision has had upon you.”

Due to legalities and the length of time since the CPS decision was made, Holly was unable to pursue the case any further, but added: “Saying the Human Rights Act didn’t apply is like they are calling me subhuman.

“This is not something to be swept under the carpet in legal jargon - this is my life, something that almost ended a few times because of Griffiths and the CPS.

“The damage has been done.

“If I had support as a child, I would’ve worked through what had happened to me, I wouldn’t have these mental health issues and long-term defence mechanisms I learnt because of him.

“It wouldn’t have been this difficult.”

Holly bravely waived her legal right to lifelong anonymity to raise awareness of sexual abuse victims and the support they deserve, “so that other victims won’t be afraid of not being believed or heard” - turning her story into a book.

She is now pursuing mediation with the CPS.

Donate to New Pathways charity which helped Holly “every step of the way” - https://www.newpathways.org.uk/support-us/