Stuart Griffiths

Posted: February 7th, 2018

The funeral of former Daily Record crime reporter STUART “The Griff” GRIFFITHS takes place at Daldowie Crematorium, Glasgow on Monday, February 12 at 3pm.

The Griff, a long-service reporter who was at the Record for 30 years, is assured of his place in Scottish and journalistic history in perpetuity through the contempt case HMA v Cox and Griffiths. (SLT 1172, 1998.)

He wrote a story in 1998 – headlined “Armed convoy” – which told told how armed police were escorting eleven men from Edinburgh prison to Barlinnie, Glasgow, where they were due to appear at the High Court.

The trial judge ruled the story was a contempt and The Griff and Peter Cox were each fined £1500. (Peter Cox later became the editor of the Daily Record.) The Record was allowed to appeal after legal work, and the case became the first Scottish media contempt case where the Scottish courts took account of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The appeal was based on Article 10 – Freedom of Expression, and the legal team argued that the article did not break the strict liability rule. Scotland’s Lord Justice General Lord Rodger, sitting with Lord Prosser and Lord Coulsfield, agreed.

“Stuart, forever known throughout his 30 years at the Daily Record as The Griff, broke many crime stories with another well-known DR crime man Charlie Beaton (corroboration is a must in Scottish law).
“The Griff began as a court shorthand writer but was determined to be a reporter. He just had the best shorthand note ever. The Griff was just a good guy. He took early retirement and had his own crime/court agency. Condolences to his wife Evelyn and the family.”

With thanks to Malcolm Speed