Man guilty of attempted murder of boy who discovered he had raped a girl

A man was found guilty of attempted murder of a boy who discovered he had raped a girl.

54-year-old Anthony Stocks hatched a plan to kill a young boy who tried to stop him from attacking a young girl and pushed him off a cliff.

Stocks was found 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 sexual conduct, rape and attempted murder.

One of the police officers involved in the investigation described the incident as “without doubt one of the worst cases of child abuse I have investigated.”

Stocks had previously taken the boy to a quarry in Oxfordshire with the intention of pushing him in, but then changed his mind, Thames Valley Police said.

On 24 September 2022, he took the boy to the cliffs at Ovingdean, just outside Brighton and carried out his plan: he pushed the boy from a height of 30 meters.

The child miraculously survived despite severe injuries.

The fall was initially thought to be an accident, but the fact that he was pushed – and Stocks’ motive – were uncovered during an investigation.

Stocks was arrested in November 2023 for attempted murder and rape. The charges were filed the same day.

Police found that he had raped and sexually abused a girl multiple times over a three-year period between 2019 and 2022.

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The girl told the boy about the abuse, and when he tried to intervene, the 54-year-old began to make plans to murder her – and told the girl about his plan.

Detective Sergeant Rachel Jackson, the deputy lead investigator in the case, described Stocks’ crimes as “appalling and evil”.

She continued: “He is a very dangerous individual who only thought about himself and protected himself from prosecution by taking the boy out of the equation.”

“He has shown no remorse whatsoever throughout the investigation.

“I would like to thank both victims for their incredible courage and determination in helping us bring Stocks to justice.”

DS Jackson added: “This is without doubt one of the worst cases of child abuse I have investigated.

“The impact this has had on both the victims and all officers and staff who investigated the case cannot be underestimated.”

A decision regarding the stocks will be made at a later date.