A disgraced GP who was the “worst kind of sexual predator” and “hid in plain sight” could have victims in Sussex from when he practiced in the county. Dr Stephen Cox, 65, was sentenced to 22 years’ imprisonment at Reading Crown Court on Monday after being found guilty of a string of indecent assaults against seven female patients. Now, investigators have warned that Cox spent time as a family doctor in Ouse Valley and they have urged any potential victims to come forward.
Cox, from Stockton Mill, Welshpool, Shropshire, repeatedly indecently assaulted seven of his female patients on the pretext of carrying out routine medical examinations, between 1988 and 1997. Judge Sarah Campbell said Cox selected female victims who he believed were less likely to complain because of their age or background, adding that several were pregnant or had come out of abusive relationships. Dr Stephen Cox (Image: Thames Valley Police) On Friday, Cox was found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault and acquitted of a further four, after a four-week retrial at Reading Crown Court.
During the trial, the jury heard that Cox touched parts of patients’ bodies during examinations at his surgery in Bracknell, Berkshire, despite there being no medical reason to do so. As well as getting patients to undress unnecessarily, he touched their breasts, pressed his body against them, and carried out internal examinations when they were not needed or without using gloves. The offences took place before.
