A man who admitted murdering a convicted child sex offender has been jailed for life, three years after he attacked the OAP in his home.
John Coxon, who had several convictions for child sexual offences and served a year in prison in 2016, sustained a head injury in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, in January 12, 2022. Police were called to 76-year-old Mr Coxon’s home and he was taken to hospital, where he remained until he died on March 22 the same year.
Anthony Gardiner, 66, was initially arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm, but following the death, a murder investigation was launched and Gardiner was re-arrested. During a hearing at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday, December 2024, Gardiner pleaded guilty to murder.
Addressing Gardiner during sentencing, Judge Picton said: “You are a highly dangerous man and there is no sign whatsoever that the passing of the years is reducing your risk to the public.”
He sentenced Gardiner to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 24 years. Due to the guilty plea, this was reduced to 20 years before he is eligible for release.
Judge Picton described the attack as “brutal” and that Gardiner knew how frail Mr Coxon was, and that he must have appreciated the risk an attack such as this carried. He added: “You have not shown a shred of remorse for what you have done, rather the exact opposite. You appear to celebrate the fact that you have killed another human being.”
Gardiner has previous convictions which include robbery, wounding with intent, assault, battery, shoplifting, drug and driving offences. He has been in prison serving a five-year sentence for his part in robbing a disabled man of his wallet in May 2022. He had grabbed the man, who had Parkinson’s disease, by the neck and squeezed it until he handed over his wallet.
Gardiner represented himself after he chose to have no legal team. In an expletive laden speech to the court, Gardiner blamed Covid for Mr Coxon’s death and he showed no remorse for his actions.
There is no evidence to support any suggestion of contact between Mr Coxon and Gardiner’s family, other than when he spoke to a relative in 2017. However, Gardiner later wrote a letter to police fully accepting what he had done, and he then pleaded guilty in court.
It was said in court that while Gardiner wanted to cause serious harm to Mr Coxon in what was a pre-meditated attack, there is no evidence that he set out with an intention to kill him. The court was told that it was unclear why Gardiner attacked Mr Coxon that day as he had known about his prior convictions and lived close to him for some years.
Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Adam Stacey said “Gardiner had exploited Mr Coxon for money and later attacked him inside his own home, leaving him injured on the floor. He has now admitted his actions and has been sentenced for them, and he will spend a lengthy amount of time behind bars.”
At the time of his arrest, a statement from Gloucestershire Police said: “A 66-year-old man has been charged with murder in connection with an incident in Stonehouse in 2022. Anthony Gardiner, previously of Daniels Road, Stroud has been charged with the murder of 76-year-old John Coxon.
“He is on remand and is due to appear at Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court for a first appearance today (4 September). Police had been called to a property on Park Road, Stonehouse on 12 January 2022 with a report that Mr Coxon had sustained a head injury. He remained in hospital until he died on 25 March the same year, and the Major Crime Investigation Team launched a murder investigation.”
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