Murderer who bludgeoned his fiancée to death is jailed AGAIN after beating his elderly dad in ‘inheritance row’

A MURDERER who bludgeoned his fiancee to death has been jailed for five years after viciously attacking his elderly father over an “inheritance row”.

Ian Griffin, 57, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Paris for killing Kinga Legg, whose battered body was found in their £1,000-a-night room at the Bristol Hotel in May 2009.

However, thug Griffin was released in 2016 after serving just 22 months.

In May 2025 he was living in the summerhouse of his parents’ home in Winwick, Warrington, when police were called and found his father Bernard Griffin, then 83, with serious facial injuries.

Bodyworn footage was shown to the court in which Mr Griffin senior, with blood over his face and clothing, was taken out of the house by an officer as his son was arrested.

He told the police officer: “I’m glad to see you, he’d have killed me.”

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He told the court: “It was gratuitous. It was degrading.”

In a statement which was read to the court, Mr Griffin senior said: “I’m still fearful of contact from Ian if he gets released and I do not want any contact with him.”

Mr Scott said Griffin was convicted in France in 2014 of carrying out what was described as a “frenzied attack” on Ms Legg, who suffered 100 blows to her head, face and body and was found in the bath of their hotel room.

The defendant fled to Cheshire, where he was found in woodlands near Warrington before being extradited to France.

Griffin, who appeared over videolink from HMP Liverpool, pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm on his father and to a charge of threats to damage property, which the court heard related to threats he made to burn down the neighbours’ house the day before.

Representing himself, Griffin told the court he had a “really great career” and said he had produced the film Kill Bill with Lawrence Bender and Quentin Tarantino.

Judge David Swinnerton told the defendant: “I hate to put the other side of the coin, but you did murder your fiancee.”

Griffin appeared to deny Ms Legg’s murder, telling the court he had been released from prison in France after judges heard a recording of a witness who had failed to attend the trial.

But the court was told the defendant, who was in a wheelchair, was released after making an appeal on medical grounds.

He claimed on the day of his father’s assault he had taken two tablets of medication, for his legs, and had four pints because he had a meeting in the local pub with a scriptwriter who had “flown over”.

He said the attack came after a period of six to eight weeks in which he had been trying to protect his parents from men who wanted to blackmail his father.

He said: “I’m dreadfully sorry about what happened, of course I am, he’s my dad. I had a total meltdown.”

His mother Janet Griffin was called to give evidence in his defence and told the court: “He is a very good son.”

When asked about the men who he claimed were blackmailing her husband, she said: “My memory’s terrible.”

As she left the witness box she addressed the videolink and said: “Ian, love you.”

Sentencing Griffin, the judge said: “I have no doubt whatsoever your father is a particularly vulnerable victim.”

He ruled Griffin was a dangerous offender and sentenced him to five years in custody with an extended licence period of a year.