The
coach who led a gymnastics troupe to victory on Britain’s Got Talent
act has said he has suffered through ’18 months of hell’ after being
cleared of child cruelty charges.
Neil
Griffiths, 42, was accused of child cruelty by the parents of three
children he coached, but the charges were dropped last week before the
case went to trial.
The
national gymnastics coach, from Ashford, Surrey, is regarded as one of
the country’s best – and coached Spelbound to win the fourth series of
Britain’s Got Talent in front of more than 15million people in 2010.
Charges of child cruelty against Neil
Griffiths (circled, with Britain's Got Talent winners Spelbound and
presenters Ant and Dec) were dropped last week before the case went to
trial
The troupe then went on to perform at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics two years later.
Mr
Griffiths had always maintained his innocence after being questioned on
suspicion of mistreating children as young as nine by police in July.
Now, after
being cleared, he says his reputation has been tarnished and he has lost
his livelihood – but is now looking for a chance to return to the job
he loves.
‘I have been through hell for the last 18 months,’ he told the Telegraph.
‘I’m
grateful for all the support I’ve received, but devastated that the
good name I have built up over 15 years in the sport, training British,
European and world champions, has been tarnished and called into
question.’
He added: ‘This matter should never have dragged on as long as it did or been allowed to go on as far as it did.’
Neil Griffiths coached gymnastics troupe Spelbound (pictured) to victory on Britain’s Got Talent in 2010
Friends
said the charges were ‘baseless’ and he attracted support from his
former pupils and their parents, who launched a campaign on Facebook to
help clear his name.
As
well as training Spelbound, Griffiths had been head coach at Heathrow
Gymnastics Club, in west London. The club’s senior acrobatics squad,
which includes children, trains up to four hours a day, five days a
week.
But
he was suspended by British Gymnastics after the allegations first
emerged – and following police questioning, he was charged with five
counts of child cruelty dating back to nearly a decade ago.
A
trial date was set for February 2016, but following a senior crown
prosecution lawyer’s review of the evidence, the decision was made to
drop the charges.
The
lawyer decided there was no realistic possibility of a conviction and
wrote to Mr Griffith’s lawyer John Hartley to inform him of the decision
this week.
MailOnline has contacted a representative of Mr Griffiths for comment.
Daily Mail
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