A MAN has been jailed after brutally beating up a friend and parading him naked through the streets.
Thug Karl Griffins, 42, received a huge sentence after the horrifying ordeal was caught on camera by neighbours.
AlamyA man was paraded naked through the streets of Penclawdd on January 30[/caption]
South Wales PoliceKarl Griffins was jailed for 31 months[/caption]
Swansea Crown Court heard that Griffins spent much of the day and evening of January 30 at a friend’s house in the Welsh village of Penclawdd.
According to prosecutor Crag Jones, Griffins received a phone call and left the flat before returning and locking the door behind him.
Then, he told everyone inside that they couldn’t leave.
Next, the court heard that he took the phones of his friend and his friend’s partner and accused them of stealing from them though it was unclear whether he was accusing them of stealing money or drugs.
Griffins refused to return the couple’s phones and then beat the pair with his friend’s girlfriend’s crutches.
The court heard that he punched his friend in the head, before demanding that he removed his clothes.
Reportedly, Griffins told his friend that they were “going for a walk” and “paraded him naked around the streets”.
Mobile phone footage of the victim near the Penclawdd CK store was recorded during the ordeal, before Griffins returned his friend to the flat.
The 42-year-old smashed his friend’s TV before calling the police and saying: “Someone better come and get me, I’m going to kill someone.”
Griffins was arrested and told authorities that he had gone to his friend’s house after arguing with his mother.
He accused the friend of stealing from him and admitted to parading him naked in a bid to humiliate him.
Before appearing in the dock for sentencing, Griffins pleaded guilty to a slew of crimes including battery, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, criminal damage and kidnapping.
The 42-year-old was then slapped with a 31 month prison sentence, with half of his sentence to be served behind bars.
His defence said that no disagreement between Griffins and his friend “could not remotely justify the level of humiliation and violence” caused by his client.
He added that it was clear in the video footage that the victim was distressed as “he was marched through the centre of Penclawdd in a state of undress”.
Griffins’ defence said that his client’s actions could be explained through him being intoxicated and that he was now facing his addiction to controlled drugs.
The 42-year-old has been granted enhanced-prisoner status at HMP Swansea and allegedly hopes that his former friend can forgive him in the future.
Griffins has a history of criminal activity, including non-domestic burglaries, supplying Class A drugs and weapons offences.
AlamyMobile phone footage showed the naked man being taken through Penclawdd’s (pictured) streets[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
