Former Berkshire GP jailed for 22 years for string of indecent assaults against patients

• ITV News Meridian's Mel Bloor reports on Stephen Cox's sentencing

A former GP found guilty of a string of indecent assaults against seven patients in Berkshire has been jailed for 22 years.

Stephen Cox, 65, was found guilty on Friday 4 October of 12 counts of indecent assault and acquitted of a further four following a four-week retrial at Reading Crown Court.

Thames Valley Police said that over a number of years Cox repeatedly indecently assaulted seven of his female patients on the pretext of carrying out routine medical examinations.

Cox, from Stockton Mill, Welshpool, Shropshire, worked as a family doctor in Bracknell during the 1980s and 1990s.

The offences took place prior to the use of computerised healthcare records, which meant the police investigation revolved around handwritten GP notes.

Cox claimed he did not remember any of the patients, the force said, and denied the allegations, saying it was either misunderstanding, an accident, or that his victims were not telling the truth.

• Stephen Cox being questioned by detectives during a police interview. Warning: Some viewers may find this content distressing

Judge Sarah Campbell, sentencing at Reading Crown Court, said: "The complainants had to live with what he has done to them for many years, whilst he continued to live his life normally."

Turning to the defendant, she said: "You are, in a sense, the worst kind of sexual predator, hiding in plain sight under the guise of a trusted family GP.

"Your offences demonstrate a gross breach of trust on your part. Doctors are among the most highly respected and trusted professions in our society but your actions go against everything the medical professions stand for."

Investigating officer Detective Constable Sara Di Giorgio said Cox had betrayed the trust of his patients.

"These offences occurred many years ago, over a period of time in the 1980s and 1990s," she said.

"Dr Stephen Cox’s victims had the courage to come forward to report these offences, and I am pleased that the jury carefully considered the evidence and came to what is absolutely the correct conclusion.

"Cox’s patients had every right to feel safe and to trust him, but he completely betrayed this trust, embarking on a series of indecent assaults which his victims have had to live with for many decades.

"He has never displayed an ounce of remorse for what he had done, and has constantly denied any wrongdoing, this despite a number of women, none of whom know each other, coming forward to report what he had done to them."

• Detective Constable Sara Di Giorgio, Thames Valley Police, read a statement outside Reading Crown Court

She said that police were keeping open the possibility that Cox may have had more victims.

"He is a prolific and predatory sex offender hiding beneath the mask of being a trusted doctor, and I hope that the outcome of this case will give the victims some justice," she said.

"I would like to praise each and every one of his victims for coming forward and showing the bravery, not only to report the offences, but also to testify in court.

"It is not to be underestimated the gravity of offending of Cox, and he will now face the consequences of his actions.

"We are keeping an open mind as to the possibility that Cox has committed other offences during his career.

"During his career, he also practised in Burton-on-Trent, Wolverhampton, Derby, Measham in Leicestershire, Wokingham, Ouse Valley in West Sussex, and Telford.

"I would encourage anybody who believes that they may have been a victim of Cox to come forward, contacting us on 101 or via our website, quoting Operation Kurtosis.

"You will be listened to and any information you provide will be treated in the strictest confidence."

Lawyer Chris White, for the CPS, said: "The medical expert who we put forward to give evidence during the trial confirmed that there was no medical justification for Stephen Cox's actions.

"His behaviour was clearly sexually motivated, and he used his position to take advantage of his patients when they should have been able to trust him.

"With no witnesses to the assaults, it was the strength of all the victims' accounts, which showed a similar pattern in Cox's behaviour, that helped secure his conviction.

"We would like to thank them for coming forward and we hope today's sentence gives them some sense of closure."

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