Police say they are keeping an “open mind” that a Shropshire GP unmasked as a “prolific sex offender” may have committed more crimes. Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Dr Stephen Cox, aged 65, of Stockton Mill, Shropshire, near Welshpool, was found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault following a trial lasting four weeks at Reading Crown Court, which concluded on Friday.
Six of the verdicts were unanimous and a further six by a majority verdict. He was acquitted of four further counts of indecent assault. Returning to the same court on Monday, Cox was sentenced to a total of 22 years in prison .
Cox was a family doctor in Bracknell, Berkshire, during the 1980s and 1990s, practicing at the Ralphs Rides surgery, now known as the Waterfield Practice. But he had also practised in Telford, Wolverhampton, Burton-on-Trent, Measham, Wokingham and in East Sussex, and police fear there may yet be more victims in those areas where he worked. Thames Valley Police said over a number of years, Cox indecently assaulted seven of his patients, on the pretext of conducting routine medical examinations.
All of his victims were women. The offences took place prior to the widespread use of computerised healthcare records, which meant that the police investigation revolved around the retrieval of old-fashioned handwritten GP notes. These notes played an important part in establishing the time periods in which Dr Cox targeted his victims.
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