An ex-senior sixth-former, who was enraged by his girlfriend and wanted to concentrate on school had stabbed him to death.
Domestic Homicide Review, which examined the death of Ellie Gould (17 years old) by Thomas Griffiths (20 in Wiltshire in 2019), noted that the killer attempted to interfere with Ellie’s studies and forced her into ‘coercive controls’.
Reviewers called it alarming that their split escalated so quickly to murder.
The review did not identify any agency shortcomings or failings, but it recommended that Wiltshire promote the assistance available to young people who are concerned about controlling or domestic violence.
Thomas Griffiths (pictured above) attempted to disrupt Ellie Gould’s studies and put her under ‘coercive command’
Ellie, an avid horse rider, tried bravely to resist Griffiths (17 years old) after he attacked and beat her with a kitchen knives at their Calne family home. He later staged the incident to look like suicide and then returned to school.
Review stated that the culprit appeared to disrupt Ellie’s studies during an important revision period, display insecurities, incite guilt, and seemed to be causing her distress.
“Ellie” sought to get a break with the perpetrator while they were revising for mock A level exams. However, the perpetrator refused.
“His subsequent disruption of her education should be viewed in the context of educational subversion.”
Educational sabotage was described as “a lesser-known form of coercive controls and economic abuse that disrupts the victim’s ability gain education qualifications and furthers the perpetrator’s control and power over them”.
Ellie, according to it, would have had the ability to access ‘the entire range of specialist domestic violence services’ in Wilshire if she so desired.
A number of suggestions were made by the review, which included raising awareness about indicators of abuse among young people in their relationships with agencies and families.
Ellie, an avid horse rider, tried bravely to stop Griffiths (17 years old) after he attacked and beat her at their Calne family home in May 2019. Before he made it appear like suicide, he staged the incident to disguise his actions.
Chair of Wiltshire Community Safety Partnership and Assistant Chief Constable Mark Cooper said that tackling domestic abuse and violence is each agency’s responsibility. We will work together to continue our efforts to educate and support all victims.
After admitting to murder, Griffiths will spend a minimum period of twelve years and six months behind bars.
Ellie’s friends campaign for self-defence classes as part of their school curriculum.