Child abuser jailed for life

A man who forced two young girls to take photographs of themselves in sexual acts with him, was given four life jail sentences by a court in Dublin today.

John Adams, 62, was told by the judge at the Central Criminal Court that some of the pictures were “similar to the worst that would be found in hardcore magazines”.

Adams, whose last known address was in Ballymena, Co Antrim, pleaded guilty to four counts of unlawful carnal knowledge and two of sexual abuse against three young girls over a period of three years between 1991 and 1993 in a Co Louth town.

Mr Justice Paul Carney made an order that the name of the town should not be reported in the media.

The court heard that Adams “groomed” the girls for sex after moving to their home town in 1989, becoming friendly with them about a year later.

At the time of the offences the girls were aged six, eight and 10, and one of them said in court that their lives had been ruined.

Adams, who had a previous conviction for child-stealing, was found to have large numbers of photographs of himself in sexual activity with children when he was apprehended by police in Ballymena six years ago.

The pictures were hidden behind picture frames and in other locations at the address.

Detective Michael O’Driscoll told the judge that Adams had not shown remorse for his actions at any point during the investigation.

He had kept a diary of his activities with the girls.

One of the jailed man’s victims, who is now in her early twenties, told the court: “This man ruined all our lives.

“He took away our innocence and it is going to be in our heads always. It can never be taken away”.