A GP has been jailed after being found guilty of a string of indecent assaults against seven female patients .

Dr Stephen Cox, 65, was sentenced to 22 years’ imprisonment at Reading Crown Court after a judge said he was the “worst kind of sexual predator” who had hidden “in plain sight” as a family doctor.

Cox, from Stockton Mill, Welshpool, Shropshire, repeatedly indecently assaulted seven of his female patients on the pretext of carrying out routine medical examinations, between 1988 and 1997.

Judge Sarah Campbell said Cox selected female victims who he believed were less likely to complain because of their age or background, adding that several were pregnant or had come out of abusive relationships.

On Friday, Cox was found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault and acquitted of a further four, after a four-week retrial.

During the trial, the jury heard that Cox touched parts of patients’ bodies during examinations at his surgery in Bracknell, Berkshire, despite there being no medical reason to do so.

Police fear there is a possibility Cox has committed other offences during his career, which included practising in the Ouse Valley in Sussex.

As well as getting patients to undress unnecessarily, he touched their breasts, pressed his body against them, and carried out internal examinations when they were not needed or without using gloves.

The offences took place before the use of computerised healthcare records, which meant the police investigation revolved around handwritten GP notes.

The indecent assaults were not reported at the time, and victims came forward once a police investigation opened into Cox, the CPS said. In her sentencing remarks, Judge Campbell told Cox: “Your convictions demonstrate the gross breach of trust you committed in your role as their trusted GP.

“Doctors are amongst the most highly respected and trusted members of our society.

“The convictions strike at the heart of everything the medical profession stands for.

“You are in a sense the worst kind of sexual predator, hiding in plain sight behind the guise of a trusted friendly family GP but who took advantage of the unique position you were in to abuse and satisfy your sexual desires.”

Judge Campbell added: “As many sexual predators do, you picked your female victims carefully, knowing that because of their age or their history and background they would be less likely to complain.”

In 2010, the General Medical Council (GMC) suspended Cox from practising for nine months for his actions in relation to two patients and a trainee.

Judge Campbell said the GMC’s standard of proof was different to a crown court trial, but that the “nature of some incidents was not dissimilar”.

The judge added that she understood the GMC intends to bring proceedings against Cox as a result of the convictions.

Cox had claimed he did not remember any of the patients and denied the allegations, saying it was either a misunderstanding, an accident, or that his victims were not telling the truth.

Speaking outside Reading Crown Court following the sentencing, Thames Valley Police Detective Constable Sara Di Giorgio said Cox was a “prolific sex offender”.

The investigating officer added: “He committed his crimes in plain sight, but beneath the mask of being a trusted family GP.

“He has completely betrayed his profession, his colleagues and his patients with a pattern of offending which is not to be underplayed.

“Cox targeted the most vulnerable of women, those who came to him for help in their hour of need.

“But rather than helping these patients, he betrayed them in an abhorrent way under the pretext of carrying out medical examinations.

“For decades, Cox’s victims have endured the pain and suffering of believing he had got away with his crimes – he did not.

“He has now been unmasked as a prolific sex offender and he will now face years in prison where he belongs.”

The investigating officer said police were “keeping an open mind” as to the possibility that Cox may have committed further offences.

During his career, Cox worked in Burton-on-Trent, Wolverhampton, Derby, Measham in Leicestershire, Wokingham, Ouse Valley in West Sussex and in Telford.

Detective Constable Di Giorgio said potential victims could contact Thames Valley Police at any time on 101 quoting Operation Kurtosis, or the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Multiple victim impact statements were read to the court before the sentencing.

One victim said that Cox “used my vulnerability to his advantage”, adding he would wheel his chair to hers and then “rub my legs”.

Another woman, who was indecently assaulted by Cox, said: “He is a nasty vile little man and I will never forgive him for what he did to me.”

She added: “Since reporting this to the police, I have been haunted by all the things I remembered.

“I cannot explain how much I hate Stephen Cox.”

One victim said she was “shocked and disgusted” by an examination Cox conducted while she was pregnant, adding she believed her “daughter turned in the womb that day”.

The woman added: “I could not face being pregnant again following my earlier experience.”

Another victim said: “Dr Cox made me hate my body so much that I ended up going to my new doctor to have a breast reduction.”

Lawyer Chris White, for the CPS, said: “The medical expert who we put forward to give evidence during the trial confirmed that there was no medical justification for Stephen Cox’s actions.

“His behaviour was clearly sexually motivated, and he used his position to take advantage of his patients when they should have been able to trust him.

“With no witnesses to the assaults, it was the strength of all the victims’ accounts, which showed a similar pattern in Cox’s behaviour, that helped secure his conviction.

“We would like to thank them for coming forward and we hope today’s sentence gives them some sense of closure.”