Man raped 13-year-old girl and threw her 10-year-old brother off a 30-meter cliff when he found out about it

A sex offender who threw a 10-year-old boy off a cliff – after the child tried to stop him from raping his sister – has been convicted of attempted murder and rape.

Anthony Stocks hurled the child 100 feet off the cliff in Ovingdean, Brighton, and after a violent impact with the concrete floor below, the boy suffered serious injuries. A court found he had miraculously survived. Although authorities initially treated the fall as an accident, a witness came forward to say he saw “a small figure fall as if thrown from the cliff” followed by “a scream” and Stocks was arrested.

The 54-year-old man had previously abused the boy’s 13-year-old sister and made her dependent on him. Stocks told jurors last week he was a film fan and wanted to take the boy to the cliff edge at Ovingdean to “see where they filmed Quadrophenia” – a 1979 British drama based on The Who’s 1973 rock opera of the same name.

But a jury at Oxford Crown Court today unanimously found Stocks guilty of four counts of sexual abuse of a child under 13, one count each of inducing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in a sexual act, rape and attempted murder.

Stocks, from Goring-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, was remanded in custody and is due to return to court for sentencing at the end of July. Judge Nigel Daly said: “These are very serious offences.”

“I will have to examine the dangerousness in relation to the charges, particularly the attempted murder, which has a motive in the first six counts of rape and sexual abuse of a young girl. That will take some time. I will look at many things about his past. In any case, it will be a long prison sentence.”

The girl told the boy about the rape and said she was “scared.” Stocks then realized the boy knew about the assaults and had planned to “disturb her.” In September 2022, Stocks took the boy to the cliff – after several weeks earlier considering pushing him off a cliff in a quarry.

Stocks used a ruse by taking the child to Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea plays football, but after arriving in London, he took the boy on a train to Brighton. After the fall in September 2022, the boy had multiple fractures to his head and arm, a deformity of the neck, and an injury to his spleen and kidney.

The boy spent several months in hospital. Afterwards he told police he knew “everything” about Stocks’ sexual abuse of his underage sister. Thames Valley Constabulary and Sussex Police worked together to catch Stocks. Stocks denied all allegations and was brought to court.

Detective Constable Vicki Blythe, of Sussex Police’s Complex Abuse Unit, said: “Anthony Stocks’ deliberate offending betrayed the trust of two young people who will now have to live with the consequences of his crimes for the rest of their lives.”

“Both of his victims have shown remarkable courage and determination in supporting this investigation through to completion. I would like to thank them both for helping us bring Stocks to justice.

“The events of 24 September 2022 were alarming for the residents of Ovingdean and the wider community. It was a miracle that it did not end in more tragic circumstances and I would also like to thank everyone who came forward with information and messages of support.

“Finally, I would like to thank my colleagues at Thames Valley Police for their excellent work in the investigation. If you are a victim of a sexual offence, please report it to the police online or on 101. You will be believed and you will get help. In an emergency, always dial 999.”