A Berkshire doctor, Dr Stephen Cox, has been sentenced to 22 years in prison after being found guilty of multiple indecent assaults on female patients. The 65-year-old doctor, who worked at a surgery in Bracknell, was convicted on 14 counts of indecent assault, involving seven patients, following a trial at Reading Crown Court. He was acquitted on four additional charges.
The court heard disturbing details of how Cox exploited his position as a trusted GP to assault his patients during routine medical examinations. According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Cox made his patients undress unnecessarily, touched their breasts, pressed his body against them, and performed internal examinations that were either unneeded or conducted without proper procedure, such as not using gloves.
These assaults occurred before computerised medical records became standard, which made the investigation more complex as it relied heavily on handwritten GP notes from the time. The offences went unreported for years, with victims only coming forward after a police investigation into Cox was launched.
During the trial, Cox denied the allegations, claiming that he did not recall any of the patients and argued that any inappropriate behaviour was either accidental or a misunderstanding. However, the prosecution presented testimony from a medical expert who confirmed that there was no valid medical justification for Cox’s actions. Lawyer Chris White, representing the CPS, stated that Cox’s conduct was “clearly sexually motivated” and that he had abused his patients’ trust.
“The strength of the victims’ accounts, which revealed a pattern of similar behaviour by Cox, played a crucial role in securing his conviction,” White said. “We are grateful to the victims for coming forward, and we hope that today’s sentence provides them with some sense of closure.”
