Man who murdered convicted sex offender jailed for minimum of 20 years

A man who murdered a convicted sex offender has been jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years in prison.

Anthony Gardiner, 66, of Stroud, Gloucestershire, went to the home of John Coxon, 76, in the nearby town of Stonehouse and subjected him to a violent assault on January 12 2022.

Coxon, who was described as frail, died in hospital on March 25 that year from kidney failure related to complications following the head injury inflicted by Gardiner.

Bristol Crown Court heard Gardiner pleaded guilty to murder in December 2024, having told police that he had given Coxon “a beating” and was glad he had died.

Judge Martin Picton jailed Gardiner, who chose to represent himself in court, for life and ordered him to spend a minimum of 20 years in prison.

The court heard Gardiner had a history of violent offending and is currently serving a five-year prison sentence for the robbery of a disabled man in May 2022.

Judge Picton said: “John Coxon had been convicted of downloading indecent images of children. As a consequence, he was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

“On one occasion, he breached that order by having contact with a child. There is no evidence that the contact was of a sexual nature. It resulted in Mr Coxon being taken back to court.

“That event was known to you and others.”

The court heard Coxon, who had Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes, was a registered sex offender and this was well-known in his community.

In 2017, he breached the terms of his sexual harm prevention order by speaking with a child, who was known by Gardiner, as he passed their home.

Four years later, Coxon went to his bank accompanied by Gardiner and asked to withdraw up to £500 to give to Gardiner as a reward for finding his lost wallet.

Bank staff became suspicious and reported the incident to police, meaning no money was paid to Gardiner.

“You believed Mr Coxon owed you a financial debt of gratitude,” the judge said.

“You knew of John Coxon’s past concerning indecent images. You were aware he had got into trouble by contact with the child.”

Gardiner told friends and family he had walked to Gardiner’s home on the morning of January 12 2022 and attacked him.

The judge said: “It would appear you went there with an intention of giving Mr Coxon ‘a beating’. You spoke of having stamped all over Mr Coxon’s face and expressed intent to do that again in the future.

“You referred to his background as a sex offender and having breached the sexual harm prevention order with contact with a child.”

Coxon was found by his carer at about 12pm on January 12, having suffered serious head injuries. He later developed pneumonia and sepsis, which led to fatal kidney failure, and he died on March 25.

Following his arrest, Gardiner’s trainers were seized and found to have Coxon’s blood on them.

He made admissions to prison officers, carved: “I am a nonce killer” into his dinner place, and was noted to keep a newspaper article about Coxon’s death in his cell.

The court heard Gardiner falsely claimed the child Coxon had spoken to later took their own life.

Judge Picton told the defendant: “You carried out a brutal attack on a frail and vulnerable man in his own home. You left him lying on the floor with serious injuries.

“You appear to celebrate the fact that you killed another human being. You are a highly dangerous man.”

Mary Cowe, prosecuting, described how Gardiner had treated Coxon’s death “as a joke” and “laughed” when talking to family members about it.

She summarised a victim personal statement from Coxon’s brother, which said he had “done good things in his life” including caring for elderly relatives.

“He says he is really sad to hear how his brother had been tormented in his own home,” Ms Cowe said.

“He says no-one should be subjected to that.”

The court heard Coxon had a history of violent offending, including slashing the neck of a former partner, and attacking a homeless man he wrongly accused of being a paedophile.

Coxon, representing himself, told the judge: “That Mr Coxon had 474 images of children on his computer. I’m glad he is dead.”

He later said: “I am coming up to my 67th birthday. The only thing I have is my partner. She hasn’t got no-one now.”

Following the case, Detective Inspector Adam Stacey of Gloucestershire Police said Gardiner had “exploited” Coxon before attacking him.

“He has now admitted his actions and has been sentenced for them, and he will spend a lengthy amount of time behind bars,” he said.