Paedo ‘grandad’ who began abusing girl from the age of 10 tried to buy her off with a fiver when she finally refused to visit him
Bianca Langridge, of Feltham, Middlesex, told how depraved Tony Griggs, 59, began molesting her from the age of 10
A BRAVE carer has revealed how the man she saw as a grandad offered her a fiver to abuse her when she was just 13-years-old.
Bianca Langridge, now 24, told how depraved Tony Griggs, 59, began molesting her from the age of 10, making her promise to keep quiet.
She recalled how, at 13, she stopped visiting him – at which point he thrust money into her hand in an attempt to entice her to his house so that he could continue his attacks.
Bianca refused his sick attempts and, four years ago, she finally mustered the courage to report Griggs to the police.
In January this year, he was found guilty of three counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual activity with a child.
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Now Bianca, of Feltham, Middlesex, has bravely waived her right to anonymity and hopes to encourage others to speak out about their abuse.
She recalled: “As a child, I was really close with my nan and her ex-partner, Tony.
“Even though they’d split up when I was young, I still saw Tony and thought of him as my grandad.
“I had hours of fun playing at his house and never imagined he would abuse my trust in the sickest way possible.
“He stole my innocence.”
From the age of nine, Bianca would visit Tony’s house during the weekends, where she’d play video games and he’d teach her to play darts.
She said: “I loved spending time with him and he’d often give me pocket money to buy sweets from the shop."
But one day, when Bianca was just 10 years old, things turned sinister.
She had split her trousers on the bus on her way to his house when Griggs offered to sew the hole up for her.
“Without thinking, I slipped them off, but then he started stroking my leg,” she recalled.
“I thought it was weird but I trusted him – and never gave the incident a second thought.”
But during another visit a week later, Tony’s sick advances went further.
Bianca said: “He started groping my breasts, telling me how nice they were.
“I was terrified. After that I hated him. I never wanted to see him again but didn’t want to draw attention to myself if I stopped going round.
“So I acted like everything was normal.”
For the next three years, Bianca became Tony’s personal toy and he made her promise not to tell anyone about the abuse.
Frightened that no one would believe her, she complied.
She recalled: “Every time I saw him, my blood ran cold.
“Eventually when I was 13, I plucked up the courage to stop going round to his.
“But then he came to my house, instead.
“When I opened the front door and saw Tony standing there, I froze.
“He reached into his wallet and thrust a fiver into my hand, asking me to go round his.
“I was absolutely mortified, and threw the money at his feet.”
After that, Bianca never saw Griggs again – but the memories of the abuse haunted her.
Life continued, but she found it hard to trust people, even family members.
By the time she was 18, she barely left the house and found it difficult to have intimate relationships.
She admitted: “Soon I realised how much the abuse was affecting my life and I knew that I had to speak out.”
So, aged 20, Bianca confided in her mum about the abuse she’d suffered.
In November 2012, Bianca finally found the courage to report Griggs to the police. He was arrested a week later.
In January 2017, Tony Griggs, of Hampton, Middlesex, was found guilty of three counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual activity with a child, all against Bianca.
He was also found guilty of two further counts of indecent assault against a second victim.
Several of the counts were specimen offences, meaning they represent multiple instances of the same crimes.
He was jailed for eight years with an extended license of 12 months, and forced to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.
Bianca said: “Giving evidence was difficult and I hated him even more for forcing me to go through it.
“But I’m so relieved that the monster was jailed.
“My nan was distraught when she discovered what he’d done, but I’ve reassured her that it’s not her fault. Now we’re closer than ever.
“My only regret is that I didn’t speak out sooner – I just want others to not be afraid.
“Please tell someone. It’s not easy but help is out there.”
In April we told how a mum recalled the horror of being attacked by her pervert uncle at a Premier Inn after he plied her with booze and forced her to share a bed with him.
Earlier this month we told how a brave sex abuse victim waived their anonymity to reveal how BBC pervs Julie and Tony Wadsworth groomed him as a schoolboy and lured him into woods for sex.