A 53-year-old man has been charged with rape of a girl under 13 and attempted murder of a 10-year-old boy.

The resident of Iceni Close, Goring, Anthony Stocks, was charged on Thursday in connection with incidents between March 2017 and September 2022.

The 'rape' incidents took place place in Oxfordshire and the attempted murder of a 10-year-old boy was at a set of cliffs at Ovingdean, near Brighton in Sussex.

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Stocks appeared before Magistrates’ Court on Friday, where he was remanded in custody to appear at Oxford Crown Court on Friday, December 8.

This was following a joint investigation by Thames Valley Police and Sussex Police.

A passerby at the time said: “I saw all the emergency services at the cliff and it looked really worrying.

“I had heard it was a child so I really hope they are ok. It’s absolutely awful.”

A spokesman for Sussex Police said at the time: “Police responded to a report of a boy falling from height in Ovingdean, at about 5pm on Saturday, September 24.

“The 10-year-old was found to have suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to St George’s Hospital in London, where he remains in a critical condition.

“He is not local to the area and was visiting Brighton and Hove.

“Ovingdean roundabout was closed whilst the boy was brought to safety.

“The roundabout reopened just before 10pm.

"We thank the public for their patience during the closure.

“The boy and his family are receiving support from officers and enquiries are continuing.”

A police cordon was put up while police investigated the incident.

The force later confirmed that passersby had rushed to help the boy.

The spokesman thanked “those who administered life-saving first aid to the child in the immediate aftermath”.

The boy was expected to make a full recovery.