A JUDGE has dubbed a child rapist’s behaviour as ‘abhorrent’ after he attempted to murder a boy by pushing him from a 100ft clifftop.

Anthony Stocks, formerly of an address in Goring, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Friday (July 26) for attempting to murder a 10-year-old boy after he tried to intervene with Stocks assaulting an underage girl.

The 54-year-old had sexually assaulted the girl on several occasions in the early 2020s. The boy tried to stop the assaults, resulting in Stocks trying to kill the boy by pushing him from a cliff in Ovingdean, Brighton.

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Judge Nigel Daly handed him a life sentence with a minimum term of 19 and a half years.

Sentencing him he said: “Mr Stocks you have heard the effects that the injuries have had on [the boy] and he will continue to suffer throughout his life.

“But it is not just the physical injuries that he will have to endure, he has been severely traumatised by what you did to him, made even worse because he thought he was being taken on a special treat to see football stadiums, he trusted you…and you betrayed that trust in an attempt to cover up your own deviant sexual behaviour towards [the girl].

“I shall quote from the report from the Attach team, ‘We figured there is no word in the entire English language that can accurately describe the cruelty, the horror, the indecency and the near-death experience that [the boy] was exposed to.

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“It was simply inhumane and will leave lasting scars on [him] that will be re-ignited from time to time in the context of intimate relationships.”

Speaking about the girl, Judge Daly said: “You groomed and assaulted this vulnerable young girl for your own deviant sexual pleasure.

“It happened time and time again and it is clear from the evidence that you became utterly obsessed with her and would go to any lengths to prevent anyone interfering with your abhorrent behaviour.

“The effect on [her] has been stark, both physically and emotionally. There is clearly a very long way to go for [her] to feel safe enough to express her emotions, to trust that others won’t hurt her, to trust that others might want to support her.

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“[She] remains incredibly vulnerable… and is currently finding it very challenging to be able to focus on a future where she can achieve her potential.

“You have ruined the lives of these two children.”

He also praised the children for their courage giving evidence in court.