A British businessman who previously served a reduced sentence for murdering his fiancée has been jailed again for a violent and "degrading" assault on his 83-year-old father.
Ian Griffin, 57, received a four-year prison sentence and a one-year extended license for the attack on his father, Bernard Griffin, which occurred in May 2025. Griffin pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm against his father and threats to damage property belonging to his parents' neighbors. Liverpool Crown Court heard that the assault on his father lasted between 30 minutes and an hour, during which Bernard Griffin was punched, dragged to the floor, and kicked.
During the assault, Griffin reportedly forced his father to sign over 50% of his earnings to his wife, Janet, Ian's mother. Body-worn camera footage played in court showed Bernard Griffin with a bloodied face telling officers, "He’s beaten me up with his fists." He also stated, "Am I glad to see you, he would have killed me." Further footage from Mrs. Griffin's mobile phone highlighted the "degrading treatment," with Griffin heard screaming abuse at his father and threatening to "break your motherf*****g face."
Griffin, who appeared in court via video link from HMP Liverpool, initially denied assaulting his father, claiming he was elsewhere in the house and that a third party was involved. He also accused his father of seeing other women and stated his intention was to ensure his mother was provided for. He later blamed drugs he was taking for a medical condition for his behavior.
His mother, Janet Griffin, defended her son, stating he had been a "very good son" and attributing his actions to medication. However, Bernard Griffin, in a victim personal statement, expressed fear of his son and stated he did not want further contact with him. Judge David Swinnerton noted Griffin's prior conviction for murder when assessing the risk of future offending, stating, "You repeatedly punched and kicked your father and left him bruised, bloodied and battered."
Griffin was originally sentenced to 20 years in prison in France for the May 2009 murder of his fiancée, Kinga Legg, 36, in a Paris hotel suite. He was found to have inflicted over 100 blows on Legg, leaving her naked body in a bathtub. He fled the scene in his Porsche and went into hiding in the UK before being extradited. His sentence was later reduced to 14 years on appeal, but he served only 22 months before his release. Legg was the heiress to a Polish supermarket fortune and owned a tomato export firm. Text messages from Legg to a friend prior to her death indicated she feared for her life, stating, "He made me take so many sleeping pills I don't know if I'll ever wake up" and "He beat me - he beat my head against the ground."