A PREDATOR GP has been jailed for 22 years after sexually assaulting female patients in a nine year reign of terror.
Dr Stephen Cox targeted the seven women while pretending to carry out routine medical exams at the surgery in Bracknell, Berkshire.
In reality, the 65-year-old was “motivated by sexual pleasure by the deliberate touching of certain areas of the body”.
He took “sexual gratification” from groping his victims, getting them to undress unnecessarily and touching them without gloves.
Cox has now been jailed for 22 years after being convicted of 12 counts of indecent assault between 1988 and 1997.
The fiend was cleared of a further four counts of indecent assault following a retrial.
Reading Crown Court was told Cox touched his victim’s breasts under the guise of carrying out routine exams and pressed his body against them.
As the offences took place before the use of computerised healthcare records, police had to rely on handwritten GP notes for their investigation.
Although none of the incidents were reported at the time, the victims came forward once the probe had opened.
Cox, who has since retired, claimed the women were lying and that it was all just a misunderstanding.
As well as Reading, Cox practised in Burton, Wolverhampton, Derby, Measham in Leicestershire, Wokingham, Ouse Valley in West Sussex, and Telford.
Thames Valley Police previously revealed fears Cox may have targeted more victims during his time as a GP.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Sara Di Giorgio said: “These offences occurred many years ago over a period of time in the 1980s and 1990s.
“I would encourage anybody who believes that they may have been a victim of Cox to come forward.”
While Chris White, for the CPS, added: “The medical expert who we put forward to give evidence during the trial confirmed that there was no medical justification for Stephen Cox’s actions.
“His behaviour was clearly sexually motivated, and he used his position to take advantage of his patients when they should have been able to trust him.
“With no witnesses to the assaults, it was the strength of all the victims’ accounts, which showed a similar pattern in Cox’s behaviour, that helped secure his conviction.
“We would like to thank them for coming forward and we hope today’s sentence gives them some sense of closure.”
