Paedophile who threw boy off 100ft cliff is jailed for life

A paedophile who pushed a boy off a 100ft cliff to prevent him from revealing that he had raped a young girl has been jailed. Anthony Stocks launched a calculated plan to kill the 10-year-old by taking him to a set of cliffs at Ovingdean, near Brighton, in September 2022, leaving his victim with lifelong injuries.

- HOLLY EVANS

The fall was initially thought to be accidental but an investigation found that Stocks had carried out his actions to cover up three years of horrific child abuse.

While living at an address in east Oxfordshire between 2019 and 2022, the 54-year-old had repeatedly been subjecting a young girl to rape and multiple sexual assaults. After she confided in the young boy, who made concerted efforts to prevent Stocks' offending, he hatched his plan to murder the youngster. He had previously taken him to a quarry but changed his mind, deciding later that year to take the boy to see Chelsea Football Club and then to the cliff at Ovingdean.