A convicted murderer who brutally killed his pregnant wife and hid her body for more than two decades has been sentenced to an additional three years in prison after a chilling attempt to pervert the course of justice.

Andrew Griggs, 61, was already serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of his wife, Debbie Griggs, when it emerged he had hatched a sinister plan from his prison cell to unearth her remains in a bid to prove she was still alive.

Despite long claiming that Debbie had “walked out” of their family home in Cross Road, Deal, Griggs was found guilty of her murder in 2019 following a cold case investigation by Kent Police. In 2022, Debbie’s remains were discovered buried beneath the garden of Griggs’ home in St Leonards, Dorset—a property he moved to after the murder.

Shocking Prison Plot Revealed

The new charge came after Griggs confided in a visiting family member, describing in detail the location of Debbie’s body. He urged them to dig up her remains, extract a strand of hair, and send it abroad to fabricate a letter supposedly from Debbie, thereby undermining his conviction.

Instead, the relative alerted police, leading to an excavation that revealed a barrel-shaped container buried beneath a concrete shed base. Inside were Debbie’s remains, a pillow case, men’s and women’s clothing, a duvet, and a car boot liner that matched Debbie’s missing vehicle component.

Sentence and Charges

At Canterbury Crown Court on Monday, 2 June 2025, Griggs pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and was handed a three-year custodial sentence to run consecutively with his current life term. A separate charge of obstructing a coroner will remain on file.

Police: “A Callous and Selfish Act”

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Kimber of Kent Police condemned Griggs’ continued lies:

“Andrew Griggs is already serving life for the brutal murder of his wife, yet he continued to lie, manipulate, and scheme in the most disturbing way imaginable. He spared no thought for the emotional toll on others.”

DCI Kimber praised the efforts of cold case detectives, adding that the case was about more than legal proceedings—it was about justice for Debbie and her loved ones.

A Catalogue of Lies

Griggs’ original story—that he discovered a body in someone else’s garden and merely assumed it was Debbie—was dismissed as implausible. Further evidence confirmed his role:

• The car boot liner found with Debbie’s body matched the one missing from her Peugeot 309, where traces of her blood were discovered in 1999.

• Clothing inside the container matched what Griggs claimed to be wearing the day Debbie disappeared.

• A duvet found in the barrel matched one seen in family photos from the couple’s bedroom.

Background

Debbie Griggs, a 34-year-old mother of three and pregnant with her fourth child, was reported missing by Andrew in May 1999. For two decades, the case remained unsolved until the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate reopened the investigation.

Griggs was convicted in 2019 based on compelling circumstantial and forensic evidence. Debbie’s body was not found until October 2022, buried at his property in Dorset.

Appeal for Awareness

Police have urged the public to recognize the devastating effects of domestic abuse and manipulation, praising the family member who came forward with the truth.