A man convicted for sexually abusing his two stepdaughters while they were between the ages of four and eight has had his conviction upheld by the Alberta court of Appeal in a unanimous decision. The ruling released Friday by a three-member panel, denied Allan Dean Griffin’s bid for a new trial. The ruling stated Court of Queen’s Bench Justice John McCarthy made no errors in assessing the credibility of the witnesses in finding Griffin guilty. Lisa Fox, mother of Kylie and Taylor French who Griffin was convicted of assaulting, told the Cochrane Eagle the on-going court proceedings have taken their toll on her family. "The outcome of the Appeal Court this August unanimously determined that Dean Griffin is indeed guilty as charged," said Fox who added she suspects Griffin to seek an appeal on the sentence. "Yet another trial, yet another ordeal for our family." Fox said she believes the continuous hardship the legal proceedings are causing her daughters should results in a harsher sentence for Griffin. "The work of fighting for justice isn't over, we will stand strong through the next appeal, through the parole hearings, and we will find courage to heal our souls from the damage he has wrought. But the message should be clear - sexual violence against women and children are not condoned in our society, it must stop. We will not be silent, we will not be bullied, we will stand strong, we will fight back," she said. Griffin was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2017 after he was found guilty in a retrial of sexually assaulting his stepdaughters between 2001 and 2006. He later appealed the judgement against him. Griffin was first tried in 2013 where he was found not guilty, but the decision was overturned by the Alberta Court of Appeal, which found the judge, Justice K. Yamauchi, erroneous for questioning why the girls' took so long to come forward. The ruling prompted a retrial and subsequently he was found guilty of two of three assault charges against him. Throughout the drawn-out legal proceedings, Griffin has repeatedly stated his innocence. Correction: This story mistakenly reported Griffin lost an appeal for a reduced sentence, He lost an appeal for a new trial. A decision on the sentence is expected in November.
