'Warped' Leeds paedophile smirked in court as he's locked up for abusing teenage girl

A “warped” Leeds paedophile smirked in court and continued to deny his actions were wrong, as he was locked up for sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

Antony Cox was handed an extended jail sentence at Leeds Crown Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to a number of offences, including sexual communication with a child and sexual activity with a child.

The court heard he admitted the charges against him at the advice of legal counsel, but continues to deny the vile abuse should be deemed “criminal offences”.

Prosecutor Felicity Hemlin detailed how the 51-year-old had targeted the girl and they exchanged over 5,300 sexually explicit messages via Snapchat.

These messages were later discovered by the defendant's wife, who immediately brought them to the attention of West Yorkshire Police. She has since filed for divorce.

In a “clear case of grooming and manipulation,” the court heard how Cox encouraged the girl to send naked photos of her performing sex acts, and sent similar images in return.

Cox, of Bell Lane, Bramley, told her that if anyone ever found out then she would be “in trouble” with the police.

After his phone was seized and analysed, police found deleted internet searches that were indicative of a wider sexual interest pre teen and young girls.

In a victim impact statement, the girl’s father told the court how the defendant had shown an unthinkable level of “cunning and deceit.”

He detailed how the abuse had transformed his daughter from a “friendly and loving girl,” to one who was “scared to leave home.”

“Our family can only begin move on if we know he’s no longer a threat to us, or any other young person,” he added.

Defence counsel Ashleigh Metcalfe admitted to the court that there was “little to nothing” she could say in mitigation for Cox’s behaviour beyond pointing to his previously clean record and guilty pleas.

She told the court he was the sole carer for his elderly father, and those duties will now be left to his son.

Ruling him a “significant risk of reoffending” and to “protect the public,” Judge Ray Singh handed Cox an extended jail term of nine years with a further five years to be spent on licence.

He also handed Cox, who smirked throughout the sentencing, a lifelong sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and put him on the sex offenders register for life.

“In your warped head you think it’s alright for a 51-year-old man to be with a [teenage] girl,” he added.