Back in 2018, a “DISTURBED” former dance instructor and independent-school trainee, the Bordon Paedophile, Thomas Cox, was incarcerated following a conviction for multiple “predatory” sexual acts against two minors in Bordon and Frensham, the youngest being at 11 years old.
Thomas Cox, 25, of Bordon, was sentenced to seven years in prison at Guildford Crown Court on September 17 after a jury convicted him of exploiting two females aged 11 to 16 from 2009 to 2015.
Thomas Cox maintained his innocence during the police investigation into his offences, compelling his victims to testify in court and undergo interrogation over their experiences before a jury.
The offences transpired while Thomas Cox was employed by a dancing company operated by his mother at an independent school near Farnham, both of which cannot be identified for legal reasons.
Thomas Cox was first accused of 15 sexual crimes involving three girls.
Subsequently, three of these allegations were dismissed; however, he was convicted on 12 counts.
This encompasses nine charges of sexual conduct with a minor and three charges of inducing a minor to participate in sexual activity.
One victim was a student at his mother’s dancing school, while the other was a learner at the independent institution where Thomas Cox served as a graduate teacher trainee.
The father of one of Thomas Cox’s victims, whose identity cannot be disclosed for legal reasons, said to The Herald that Thomas Cox “exploited his position” to prey upon his child, alleging that the school in question had “significant deficiencies in child safeguarding”.
In an interview with the Herald, Thomas Cox’s mother stated that the case had “devastated” her and her family’s lives, noting that she was compelled to shut down her thriving dancing school after over 25 years of operation (Editor’s Note – he did not make himself a paedophile).
She informed the Herald that she has lost friends due to her son’s criminal activities, some of whom she has known since the age of five; she has sold her property and plans to relocate, apprehensive about the repercussions her family may face both in person and online.
Investigating officer Detective Constable David Jones said: “Thomas Cox is clearly a disturbed individual who used affection to gain the girls’ trust and then turned to emotional blackmail to try and ensure they didn’t tell anyone what was going on. He also displayed predatory behaviour by becoming upset and withdrawn when he did not get what he wanted.
“As soon as the victims in this case came forward, we took swift action to ensure that Thomas Cox didn’t present any further ongoing risks, including seizing his phone. Our priority was to safeguard the victims and to identify anyone else who may have been targeted.”
Det Con Jones continued: “Mr Thomas Cox denied his guilt throughout the investigation, which meant that the victims were made to stand in court and be questioned about what had happened to them in front of a jury and members of the public.
“Young girls in the community are now safer as a direct result of the strength and determination they showed in bringing Thomas Cox to justice.”
In addition to his seven-year sentence, Thomas Cox was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for an indefinite period and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £120.
Det Con Jones said: “I want to pay tribute to all the young women whose bravery in coming forward and giving evidence has ensured that Thomas Cox is now in prison where he belongs. “We want to put more offenders like him behind bars – but we need people to come forward. We will always listen to and take your allegations seriously.
Thomas Cox is out and about in your community, looking for a new child victim.
If you or anyone you know has been affected by the people highlighted on this website, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report to Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.