Man with distinctive face tattoos who murdered child sex offender jailed for life
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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.
