RODNEY FOX FROM READING SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL ABUSE IN JUDGES' CAR PARK

In July 2017, a tragic case unfolded involving Rodney Fox, a magistrate from Reading, who was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for heinous sexual offenses committed against an 11-year-old boy. The crimes took place in a secluded underground car park beneath the very courthouse where Fox served as a magistrate, exploiting his official privileges to carry out the abuse.

Fox, aged 49 at the time, used his access to the Reading Magistrates' Court’s underground parking facility, which he could enter using a special key fob granted to him as part of his judicial role. Over a period spanning from October 2013 to October 2014, he befriended the young boy, who was between 11 and 12 years old, through his role as a teaching assistant and his involvement in a local computer club. Fox would often take the boy out for lunch on Saturdays, sometimes choosing fast-food outlets like McDonald's or Kentucky Fried Chicken, before driving him to the quiet, empty car park for further inappropriate conduct.

During the trial, the jury, composed of four men and eight women, heard disturbing details of Fox’s actions. After their meals, Fox would kiss the boy on the lips, and on one particularly egregious occasion, he pulled down the boy’s jogging bottoms and engaged in oral sex. The victim, overwhelmed and distressed, eventually stopped attending the computer club, and a year after the last incident, he confided in a teacher, revealing the extent of the abuse. The boy’s handwritten note expressed his fear and despair, stating that he had never spoken about the abuse before because he feared no one would believe him. He described how Fox had helped him with schoolwork, but also how he had looked at him in a “sickening way,” kissed him in the back of Fox’s car, and engaged in sexual acts that left him feeling disgusted and confused.

Fox’s arrest came in November 2015 after the teacher’s intervention and the boy’s disclosure. Police investigations uncovered further evidence, including a laptop in Fox’s home in Caversham, Berks., which contained two indecent images of teenage boys. Fox, who shared his home with his wife and two children, refused to identify the owner of the computer. The police also examined other potential victims, interviewing children and their parents, who reported that their sons had been groomed by Fox, although no additional criminal charges were filed regarding those incidents.

During the court proceedings, the prosecution detailed how Fox had ingratiated himself into the boy’s family, gaining their trust by helping at school and running a computer club. The victim described how Fox would take him to the car park after their lunch, where he was subjected to kisses and sexual acts. The boy expressed his feelings of hero worship towards Fox, which the prosecution argued was part of the grooming process.

Fox’s defense claimed that he had only given lifts and shared lunches with the boy, denying any sexual contact. However, the jury found him guilty of two counts of sexual abuse and the making of indecent images of teenage boys by majority verdicts. Judge Stephen Warner, presiding over the case, sentenced Fox to a substantial custodial term, emphasizing the seriousness of the offenses and the need to protect children from such predators. Fox was remanded in custody until his sentencing hearing scheduled for May 5.

During the sentencing, Judge Warner ordered reports to assess Fox’s potential danger to children, highlighting the gravity of his crimes. The court also noted that Fox had previously received safeguarding training but had nonetheless committed these serious offenses. Fox, dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt, was visibly emotional, holding his head in his hands and crying as he was led away to begin his prison sentence. The case has left the community in Reading shaken, raising concerns about safeguarding and the abuse of trust by individuals in positions of authority.