Griffiths was subsequently charged with Gould's murder, and pleaded guilty at Bristol Crown Court, where he was sentenced in November 2019 to life imprisonment with a minimum term of twelve-and-a-half years in custody before becoming eligible for parole.
Gould's mother, Carole, subsequently campaigned to have the law changed to enable young offenders to be treated more like adults when convicted of serious crimes, such as murder.
Her campaign for "Ellie's Law" led to the presentation of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill by Robert Buckland, the Secretary of State for Justice, to the House of Commons on 9 March 2021.
His mother also returned home, and after hiding in the wardrobe of his bedroom so that she would not discover him absent from school, and waiting for her to depart again, he took the keys to a silver Ford Focus and drove to Gould's house.
After returning home to change, Griffiths put his clothes in the washing machine, then dumped the bag of bloodied items in a local woodland.
Evidence was gathered from Griffiths' mobile phone and CCTV cameras tracking his movements, and a neighbour who saw someone matching his description outside Gould's house.
Recorder Peter Blair QC also lifted reporting restrictions that prevented Griffiths being named by media outlets, describing his crime as "extremely grave".
It was also said that Griffiths claimed to not remember the events of what had happened, and tried to explain marks on his neck as being from self-harm, but that they were more likely to be a result of his "young victim fighting for her life".
Speaking about the decision, Carole Gould described the legal process as a "crazy system" where those under the age of 18 "have the same starting point" as younger children: "There's a huge difference between a 10-year-old and an 18-year-old.
She said the "balance of risk" was much clearer with things such as swimming and road safety, but that teaching self-defence relied very much on the "age and maturity" of pupils and their understanding that it could only be used in emergencies.
[17][18] Carole Gould subsequently campaigned for the introduction of "Ellie's Law" that would enable young offenders to be treated more like adults when convicted of serious crimes, such as murder.
[19] In August 2020, the Daily Telegraph reported that Robert Buckland, the Secretary of State for Justice, was reviewing the sentencing process, and considering a graded approach depending on the age of the offender.
[14] On 16 September, Buckland presented the Sentencing White Paper to the House of Commons, which includes provisions to amend the law with regard to young offenders who commit serious crimes.
The 31 October episode of Britain's Deadliest Kids was broadcast by Quest Red, while on 2 November, the Crime and Investigation documentary Murder At My Door covered the case.