Murderer asked son to dig up wife's body to cover up crime

KILLER GRIGGS GETS THREE MORE YEARS FOR ATTEMPT TO FALSELY CLEAR HIS NAME

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A CONVICTED killer who tried to persuade his son to dig up his own mother's body up in a bid to falsely clear his name has been given another three years in prison.

Andrew Griggs claimed he had not seen his pregnant wife Debbie since she walked out of their home in Cross Road, Deal, in 1999.

He was jailed for life in 2019 following a cold case investigation by Kent Police. 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 his wife's murder, when his son visited him in prison Griggs told him exactly where Debbie's body had been hidden.

He then asked his son 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.

Instead, his son told police and specialist officers and staff excavated the back garden of the house 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 were a pillow case and duvet, men's and women's clothing, and the lining of a car boot.