R v Paul Stuart Adams

Facts

The appellant, Paul Stuart Adams, then aged 78, was a former teacher who had also mentored teenage boys in extra-curricular music and drama activities. The prosecution case was that over five decades, going back to 1977/78, he had groomed and sexually exploited a number of teenage boys towards whom he stood in a position of trust. Following a trial in the Crown Court at Carlisle in June 2022 on two indictments concerning complainants "C5" and "C6", he was convicted of two counts of paying for the sexual services of a child, contrary to section 47(1) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, three counts of sexual assault and four counts of indecent assault, and was sentenced by His Honour Judge Archer in August 2022 to seven years' imprisonment; he was acquitted on two counts. At that trial the judge admitted evidence of the appellant's bad character under section 101(1)(d) of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, comprising a 2015 complaint by "C7" and, by agreement, evidence from "C8". Shortly after release on licence he was tried again at Carlisle in January 2026 before His Honour Judge Fanning on charges concerning four further complainants, "C1" to "C4", and received a further seven years. He renewed his application for an extension of time of 1,040 days and leave to appeal against the 2022 convictions, refused by the single judge, and appealed the 2026 sentence by leave.