Man, 54, 'threw boy, 10, over a 100ft cliff' after the youngster tried to 'stop him from raping his sister', court hears

A antheral threw a 10-year-old lad disconnected a 100ft cliff aft the kid tried to halt him raping his underage sister, a tribunal heard today.

Anthony Stocks, 54, is accused of throwing the youngster implicit the borderline of Ovingdean cliffs successful Brighton successful beforehand of horrified witnesses erstwhile the lad tried to 'intervene' aft his sister revealed the alleged abuse.

Onlookers describing proceeding a 'shriek' and seeing a 'small signifier autumn arsenic if thrown from the cliff' earlier the kid deed the ground, the Oxford Crown Court was told. Remarkably, the lad survived though helium sustained superior injuries and had to beryllium airlifted to hospital.

It is claimed that earlier the incidental successful East Sussex, which saw Stocks allegedly instrumentality the lad to the seashore without the cognition of his mother, the suspect had 'contemplated' throwing him into a quarry.

Stocks appeared astatine tribunal connected Monday accused of intersexual battle and rape against a miss nether the property of 13, arsenic good arsenic the attempted execution of the lad and cruelty to a child. He denies each the charges.

Prosecutor Zoe Johnson KC told the assemblage connected Monday that Stocks was 'grooming' the boy's sister, and claimed to his intelligence wellness idiosyncratic they would 'get married'.

'The suspect forced a miss nether 13 to person intersexual interaction with him, knowing it was wrong,' she said.

'The lad had started to effort to intervene.

'Unbeknown to the boy's mother, the suspect past took him to Brighton and successful particular, to the cliffs.

'That afternoon, the lad fell 100 feet from the cliff borderline onto the factual nether locomotion below.

'Miraculously, helium did not die, but was precise earnestly injured and had to beryllium airlifted to infirmary successful London.

'Initially, it was believed that what had happened to him was a dreadful mishap - but investigations revealed a antithetic and overmuch darker picture.'

The authoritative told the assemblage that Stocks deliberately pushed the boy, who cannot beryllium named for ineligible reasons, disconnected the borderline of the cliff with the volition of sidesplitting him.

'The suspect attempted to execution him by pushing him disconnected the cliff,' she explained to the jury.

'The suspect whitethorn person instantly regretted what helium had done - but astatine the infinitesimal helium pushed the victim, it was the climax of a program to get the lad retired of the mode truthful helium could nary longer interfere.'

She added that the attempted execution was 'planned' arsenic Stocks had antecedently taken the lad to a quarry successful Oxfordshire and 'contemplated' pushing the lad disconnected the cliff, earlier changing his mind.

The twice-married defendant, from Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, took the lad connected a bid from London and arrived successful Brighton astatine 3.33pm connected the day of the alleged offence, connected September 24, 2022.

The authoritative said: 'They did not enactment agelong astatine Brighton pier, little than 10 minutes, earlier they got a taxi to the marina.'

The assemblage heard of an eye-witness named Anthony Boulding who was walking with a person towards the cliff stairwell erstwhile helium saw the lad and the suspect walking connected the writer verge and heading towards the apical of the cliffs.

'The lad had his hands retired arsenic if helium was balancing; helium seemed to beryllium having fun,' said the prosecutor.

'The suspect was walking down him and was matching his pace.'

'Mr Boulding and his person walked down the steps to the factual underpass connected the beach.

'About 10 minutes aboriginal Mr Boulding heard a noise. Mr Boulding looked up to the apical of the cliff and saw a fig connected the incorrect broadside of the fence.

'Another fig stood behind. Mr Boulding heard shouting arsenic if a kid was 'mucking around', past shouts and past a tiny signifier autumn arsenic if thrown from the cliff.

'This was followed by a shriek.

'He did not instantly admit that the tiny signifier helium saw autumn was successful information a quality being - it was the boy.'

The assemblage heard that Mr Boulding and his person made their mode backmost to the nether cliff and noticed a assemblage of people. When they got closer, they realised they were surrounding the kid who was 'clearly successful a atrocious state' - but inactive alive.

The authoritative added that Stocks did not tally distant from the country but had alternatively joined the assorted members of the nationalist that came to the child's aid, the assemblage heard.

'Emma Betts was 1 of those radical who sat with the lad until the ambulance arrived,' the assemblage heard.

'The suspect spoke to a fig of radical astatine the scene, civilians and members of the exigency services. He was not accordant successful his relationship of what had happened.

'Emma Betts recalls seeing the suspect attack the lad and accidental 'I told him not to spell adjacent the edge.'

'The suspect past sat down, rolled a cigaret and got retired his phone.'

The tribunal heard the child's injuries were precise serious, including respective heavy lacerations to his scalp, abrasions to his chest, aggregate bruises, aggregate fractures to his near arm, and deformity to his near shoulder.

The authoritative told the assemblage the kid was 'conscious and successful tremendous pain' pursuing the fall.

He was sedated, his limb placed into a splint and helium was airlifted by chopper to St George's Hospital successful Tooting, London wherever helium had to beryllium resuscitated, earlier helium was placed successful a aesculapian coma.

Because of the 'extremely precocious interaction trauma' the lad suffered, helium does not person immoderate representation of the autumn itself, the assemblage heard.

The authoritative said: 'The kid described the cliff apical and seeing the formation below. He remembered looking down and seeing however steep it was.

'He thought helium stood determination for betwixt 3 and 5 minutes. He remembered the 2 wires of the obstruction successful beforehand of him. He could interaction them and they came to waist level and helium could spot the formation implicit them. The suspect was walking with him and stood a small down him.

'He explained to the constabulary "I either slipped oregon I got pushed". The adjacent happening helium remembered was being successful hospital.'

The defendant, who is primitively from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, was archetypal arrested soon aft the autumn connected suspicion of kid neglect and causing oregon allowing the superior wounded of a child.

He told the constabulary that helium had asked the lad if helium wanted to spell to the seaside, earlier taking him to the apical of the cliffs adjacent the Brighton Marina.

The suspect said helium sat connected a seat and smoked a cigaret portion the lad stood by the borderline of the cliffs.

The authoritative continued: 'Mr Stocks had his caput down and suddenly, the lad was gone. The suspect thought helium was hiding. He ran and recovered him astatine the bottommost of the cliff.'

Stocks was arrested again connected May 12, past year, connected suspicion of intersexual enactment with a kid nether 13 and rape of a kid nether 13.

At the opening of the constabulary interrogation his solicitor work retired a prepared connection connected behalf of the suspect successful which helium stated: 'I'm not sexually attracted to children and person not tried to person oregon instigated intersexual enactment with children.'

He past refused to reply the officers' questions.

Stocks was re-arrested connected November 23, 2023, connected suspicion of attempted murder.

He appeared connected Monday successful the dock connected bail, dressed successful a ample grey sweatshirt and acheronian brownish trousers.

He regularly became upset during the prosecution's opening code and could beryllium seen swinging backmost and distant successful the dock.

The proceedings continues connected Tuesday, May 21.