A COURT heard moving statements from two young men who were sexually abused as teenagers by a former Workington Paedophile teacher called Paul Stuart Adams.
Paul Stuart Adams, 74, who was once responsible for pastoral pupil care at the school where he worked, was widely known throughout west Cumbria for his knowledge of theatre, music and the arts.
But he abused the trust people had in him by sexually exploiting two teenage boys who turned to him for advice and guidance.
Paul Stuart Adams, of Banklands, Workington, denied more than a dozen charges relating to two teenage boys. The jury convicted of nine counts, including indecent assaults and paying for the sexual services of a child.
During this trial, the jury heard that Paul Stuart Adams, regarded as a ‘pillar’ of his local community, was so trusted that parents were happy for their children to go to him for advice on theatre and acting.
The prosecution had outlined how one victim visited Paul Stuart Adams at his home, where the pensioner ran his own recording studio. Adams gave the teenager whiskey before asking him to strip naked.
He told the boy that this would be a good way to prepare for being on stage.
After the abuse began, the boy turned to using drugs and alcohol to blank out what had happened to him, and Adams then took further advantage of the teenager, offering him cash in return for sexual favours.
He paid the boy between $100 and $200 in exchange for being touched sexually, or he got the teenager to strip naked, the court heard. Described by one of the victims as a ‘master manipulator,’ Adams was particularly interested in spanking, the victim told Carlisle Crown Court.
As Paul Stuart Adams watched from his prison video booth, the now adult victim courageously stood in court and read aloud his account of how the sexual abuse had ruined his life, robbing him of precious years of childhood.
He said that he had turned to drink and drugs, cocaine and Ecstasy, to blank out the pain of what Adams had done to him. At its height, his addiction involved him using those drugs every day.
The man told the court: In 2021, I received a diagnosis of PTSD as a result of this crime. I was suffering from nightmares and flashbacks, particularly if I saw someone who matched the height and build of Paul Stuart Adams.
I would wake up numerous times in the night in cold sweats. I would get flashbacks of the recording studio and what Paul did to me.
“I ended up taking time off work as a result of this, as I couldn’t cope.
The trauma reached a crisis point, which saw the man have to walk out of work halfway through his shift, he said.
He was off work for two months.
Since then, he has been given professional help that has included medications and therapy. Although I am much better, he said, what happened never leaves me. It is always a niggle in the back of my mind.
There is always something that triggers a memory or a thought, bringing it to the forefront. It’s still something that enters my mind daily.
The man also spoke of having self-harmed and how his trauma had left him struggling to hold down relationships. His drug use had been a coping mechanism, he said.
Recalling how the abuse changed his life, the man said: My friends and I were always out together; we would be at the skate park, camping, doing the things that teenagers do.
When this started happening with Paul, these things stopped, and by the time I came out of the emotional stress of what was happening, I was in my early 20s and felt like I had the better years of my childhood taken from me.
The court also heard from the second victim, who came forward after reading in the News & Star about how Paul Stuart Adams had been charged with child sex offences. He spoke of the profound effect.
This included feelings of self-hatred and sadness.
Now a young man, he suffered panic attacks and depression and returning to West Cumbria triggered painful memories of the abuse.
Richard Dawson, for Paul Stuart Adams, said the defendant’s parents had died in their mid-70s, and he feared that the jail term he faced would effectively be a life sentence. His time on remand has been particularly difficult for him, said the barrister.
He added that the risk posed by Paul Stuart Adams was ‘negligible.’
Judge Richard Archer said the defendant abused young men who turned to him for support and, from the evidence of the trial, he was satisfied that he had also abused a third boy and acted inappropriately towards another.
Noting that Paul Stuart Adams was assessed as representing a significant risk of harm, the judge said the defendant continued to deny wrongdoing. Until he accepted his guilt, that risk would remain high, said the judge.
He told the defendant: You were a pillar of the Workington community.
Involved with local theatres for many years, Paul Stuart Adams had been considered a worldly man, with experience of life beyond West Cumbria and knowledge of the stage and the arts.
It was that reputation and experience that led to both your victims visiting you at your home,” said the judge. Paul Stuart Adams paid for sexual services from one boy at least six times and one of the victims was just 15 when Paul Stuart Adams first abused him.
Paul Stuart Adams was jailed for seven years.
He will remain on the Sex Offender Register indefinitely and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order until further order. This prevents him from having access to any child unless the parent or guardian is aware of his offending history and unless he has the express permission of Social Services.
Nor can he live in any household where a child is also resident. Paul Stuart Adams will be released on licence when he reaches the halfway point in his sentence.
UPDATE 2026
A former TEACHER, previously incarcerated for seven years in 2022, has received an additional seven-year term after being convicted of five sexual offences against minors, perpetrated in the 1980s and 1990s.
Paul Adams, 78, of Workington, was sentenced today (6 February) at Carlisle Crown Court following a trial in January.
Adams was found guilty on three charges of indecent assault against a minor, one count of soliciting the sexual services of a child, and one count of sexual assault. The charges pertain to four victims, who were minors at the time.
Four of the offences occurred while Adams was employed as a teacher at a school in West Cumbria.
Adam’s subsequent offences were revealed when victims observed media reports in 2022 regarding his prior convictions.
If you or anyone you know has been affected by the individuals highlighted on this website, please report them to the Police on 101 (999 in an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details on reporting a crime. You can also report to Crimestoppers if you wish to remain completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.