SERIAL OFFENDER AND PREDATOR CAUGHT
Update 18/02/2026: A sex offender with a 'deplorable' criminal record has been jailed after volunteering for a shop near a primary school.Anthony Cox, of Cote Road, Aston, Bampton, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on February 17.
The 62-year-old pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.
The court heard that between November 2024 and April last year, Cox deleted his internet history from a laptop on at least 20 occasions and downloaded forensic software.
Then on January 19 this year he failed to provide a laptop for inspection when ordered to do so and undertook voluntary work, which put him into contact with children under 16.
The court heard that police attended Cox's address for an unannounced visit in March last year.
His laptop was seized and examined.
Cox admitted to deleting internet history due to him viewing images of children in swimwear.
Then in January this year, police attended his address and Cox said he was due for some voluntary work at a local shop.
Police also found a laptop in a bag which Cox claimed to have 'forgotten' about.
In police interview, Cox claimed to have found the terms of the sexual harm prevention order 'confusing'.
He also said that he had served a child under 16 in the shop.
The court heard that the shop was located near a primary school and was used by its pupils.
The court heard that Cox had 31 previous convictions for 68 offences.
Cox was jailed for 12 months.
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In July 2018, Anthony Cox, a 55-year-old man residing on Salisbury Street in the Barton Hill area of Bristol, was convicted of making an indecent photograph of a child.
The court sentenced him to six months in prison, emphasizing the severity of his offense due to the extensive search history on his computer and his prior offending record.
As part of his sentence, Cox was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £115 and was also mandated to register as a sex offender for a period of seven years.
Anthony Cox’s criminal history in Bristol is extensive and troubling.
His pattern of indecent exposure and lewd acts has spanned over many years, with incidents that have repeatedly brought him into conflict with the law.
Notably, in June 2013, Cox, then aged 50 and living in Salisbury Street, Barton Hill, was convicted of a series of indecent acts, including exposure, which led to a significant custodial sentence.
During the June 2013 incident, Cox was caught in Clifton, Bristol, engaging in lewd behavior outside his vehicle on Elmdale Road.
Witnesses reported seeing him performing a lewd act in public, which prompted immediate police intervention.
Two women, along with a child, observed Cox for several minutes before he left the scene.
Police arrived at approximately 1:30 pm and, after a description was provided, identified Cox as the suspect.
Cox was arrested on the spot and admitted to being at the location earlier, claiming he was there to visit a bank on Whiteladies Road.
He maintained that he performed the act for five or ten minutes and that he paused if anyone approached, denying any intent to target specific individuals.
Preceding this incident, Cox had been issued a community order by magistrates in April 2013 for a similar offense in Waterside Drive, Almondsbury.
During that earlier offense, Cox was sitting on a motorbike wearing a crash helmet when a woman jogging with her young son questioned his behavior.
Cox did not respond but claimed he was waiting for a friend when threatened with police action.
The woman noted his bike's registration number and reported it to authorities.
Throughout his criminal history, Cox has been convicted of at least eight sexual offenses spanning from 1984 to 2011.
His convictions include possession of indecent images of children and carrying a blade.
In 2001, he was subjected to a three-year community rehabilitation order that included participation in a sex-offender program, which temporarily curtailed his offending behavior.
However, his pattern of reoffending persisted, especially after his marriage ended in 2008, suggesting a link between personal circumstances and his criminal activity.
In October 2009, Cox was again in trouble when he committed a lewd act outside a bakery on Gloucester Road in Bristol.
A passerby, Michael Swann, observed Cox in a Land Rover engaged in the act and promptly alerted security staff at a nearby supermarket.
Cox was arrested shortly afterward.
The court heard that Cox had been recalled to prison for previous offenses, including affray and possession of indecent images of children, and was serving a 15-week sentence at the time of this latest incident.
Cox pleaded guilty to exposure in this case.
His criminal record also includes multiple convictions for indecent exposure and gross indecency with a girl under 16.
Despite these repeated offenses, Cox’s defense argued that there were limited options available due to his recall to prison, with his earliest release date set for April of the following year.
The defense also noted that Cox had previously accepted responsibility for his actions and that plans could be made to transfer him to a prison with a dedicated sex-offender program, although such programs were not available at HMP Hewell at the time.
Overall, Anthony Cox’s history paints a disturbing picture of persistent sexual misconduct and indecent behavior in Bristol.
His repeated offenses, despite previous interventions and treatment attempts, highlight the challenges faced by the justice system in managing and rehabilitating such offenders.
His latest conviction and sentencing serve as a stark reminder of the ongoing threat he poses to the community.
