Four Years For Child Sex Abuser

A Gwent man who walked into a police station to confess to sexual abuse of a child after pressure from the victim’s relatives was jailed for four years. Michael Adams, 60, was also told he would remain on the sex offenders register and be banned from working with children indefinitely and would also be on extended licence following his release from prison.

Adams, of Alexander Street, Ebbw Vale, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to 11 offences of sexual assault and gross indecency involving one child and one sex offence involving another child.
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Cardiff Crown Court were told the charges related to “historic sexual abuse” as they were committed more than a decade ago.

Marian Lewis, prosecuting, said the offences came to the attention of the police because, during the early hours of August 20, Adams went to Newport central police station and confessed to the abuse.

He said he had admitted to it as a result of pressure brought to bear on him by two relatives of the victim.

Earlier that month, he had written a letter to the victim accepting his guilt.

Hilary Roberts, defending, said the letter and his early guilty pleas were an expression of his remorse and feelings of guilt that he had lived with for a long time.

At the time he was living a chaotic and unhappy life. He was suffering from anxiety, stress and alcoholism and subsequently had a mental breakdown.

“He was not coping with life and was not able to control himself,” said Mr Roberts.

He had no other convictions of a similar nature and had led an unremarkable life since then.

Judge Neil Bidder said Adams’ offending was very upsetting for the victim who obviously had great difficulty in understanding what was happening.

The impact would remain forever with the victim, who had used alcohol to try to forget the abuse.

He added that Adams had shown remorse which demonstrated recognition of the very real harm he had caused.