Doctor, 65, is found guilty of indecently assaulting female patients

A 'prolific and predatory' family GP has been found guilty of a string of indecent assaults against seven patients under the pretext of routine medical examinations.

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

He repeatedly indecently assaulted seven of his female patients in Berkshire on the pretext of carrying out routine medical examinations over a number of years.

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

He also practised in Burton-on-Trent, Wolverhampton, Derby, Measham in Leicestershire, Wokingham, Ouse Valley in West Sussex, and Telford, with police asking any further victims to come forward.

The investigating officer from Thames Valley Police slammed him as a 'prolific and predatory sex offender hiding beneath the mask of being a trusted doctor'.

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.

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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.'

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.'

Prosecutor Chris Hewertson alleged that Cox took 'sexual gratification' in assaulting the women, some of whom were pregnant at the time of the incidents.

Mr Hewertson said: 'We, the prosecution, say that over the course of a number of years from 1988 to 1997 he indecently assaulted seven of the patients at that GP surgery.

'We say he did this on the pretext of carrying out routine medical examinations.'

Mr Hewertson added their case is that Cox was 'motivated by sexual pleasure by the deliberate touching of certain areas of the body' and the actions were not medically justified.

He said: 'It was inappropriate, wrong, not medically justified, criminal.'

Cox will be sentenced on Monday.