Ex-pillar of Workington community jailed for boys' sex abuse

A former teacher described as a one-time "pillar of the community" has been jailed for sexually abusing two boys.

Paul Adams, 74, molested a 16-year-old boy who he would ply with whiskey and pay to strip for him, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

Adams, who also worked in theatres in West Cumbria and freelanced for the BBC, also forced himself on a 15-year-old boy.

He was sentenced to seven years after being convicted of nine offences.

Jurors found Adams, of Banklands in Workington, guilty of sexually assaulting and paying for the sexual services of his first victim, who claimed he had been "manipulated and groomed" by the predator.

Adams' second victim came forward after media reports appeared about the court case for the first boy.

The boy said Adams tried to "force himself" on him during a car journey.

Prosecutor Rob Wyn Jones said one of the victims had described feeling "self-hatred, long-lasting shame and ultimately sadness" at the way the abuse had affected his life.

The other read his impact statement in court, telling of his heavy alcohol and drug dependence caused by Adams' criminal conduct.

"I feel like I had the better years of my childhood taken from me," he said.

Richard Dawson, representing Adams, said his client continued to deny wrongdoing and feared the punishment handed down would be "tantamount to a life sentence".

Judge Richard Archer said Adams regularly used alcohol to facilitate the offending, telling the former teacher: "For over two decades, on and off, you sexually abused young men and boys who had turned to you for support and assistance with their lives."

He concluded on the evidence that Adams had abused a third male and demonstrated inappropriate conduct to a fourth, but limited his sentencing to the two main complainants.

"You were a pillar of the Workington community," the judge said, adding: "The effect of your offending on your victims has been profound."

Adams must sign the sex offenders' register and follow the terms of a strict prevention order, both indefinitely.

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