A JURY is due to retire soon in the trial of Anthony Stocks - a man accused of 'throwing' a young boy from a 100ft cliff.
Stocks, of Iceni Close, Goring, is on trial at Oxford Crown Court accused of attempting to murder a 10-year-old boy after he tried to ‘intervene’ with Stocks allegedly assaulting an underage girl.
Reportedly, the 54-year-old wanted to ‘marry’ the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and had sexually assaulted her on several occasions in the early 2020s.
READ MORE: Two students 'raped' by stranger, jury hears
The boy, who also cannot be named for legal reasons, tried to stop the assaults, resulting in Stocks allegedly trying to kill the boy on one occasion and contemplating it on a second.
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Stocks has been charged with four counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, one charge of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and one count of rape of a child.
Stocks also faces one charge of attempted murder and an alternative charge of cruelty to a person under 16.
READ MORE: Victim of domestic abuse urges others to speak out after ex is sentenced
Judge Nigel Daly has been summarising the facts of the case to the jury today (June 4) after the case started two weeks ago.
Soon after, the jury will retire to consider their verdicts.
It is unknown how long they will take with their deliberations.
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