Locations
Cote Road, Aston, Bampton, Oxfordshire, OX18
Description
A sex offender with a "deplorable" criminal record has been jailed for volunteering at a shop near a primary school.
Anthony Cox, 62, of Cote Road, Aston, Bampton, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on February 17 after pleading guilty to three counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.
Between November 2024 and April 2025, Cox deleted his internet history from a laptop at least 20 times and downloaded forensic software. On January 19, 2026, he failed to provide a laptop for inspection and undertook voluntary work that put him in contact with children under 16.
In March 2025, police seized his laptop during an unannounced visit; Cox admitted deleting history after viewing images of children in swimwear.
In January 2026, police found a hidden laptop and learned of his shop work, where he served a child under 16. The shop was near a primary school frequented by pupils.
In interview, Cox called the order "confusing." He has 31 prior convictions for 68 offences.
Mitigating, Nick Cotter said: "My client accepts the inevitability of an immediate custodial sentence today."
Judge Michael Gledhill KC said: "Your criminal record is deplorable."
Cox was jailed for 12 months.