Peter Ibrahim Connor Adams

A serial York sex offender and paedophile, Peter Ibrahim Connor Adams, has been allowed to leave custody following an absolute discharge for breaching the requirements of the sex offenders’ register. The 69-year-old, who has a long history of sexual offences, was deemed unfit to stand trial by two psychiatrists, leading to a jury finding that he had committed the acts of non-compliance without a formal guilty verdict.

Adams was placed on the sex offenders’ register for life, along with a sexual harm prevention order, after his conviction for gross indecency with a child and possession of indecent images of children at Leeds Crown Court some years ago. His criminal record includes numerous convictions for indecent exposure spanning decades, as well as prior offences for failing to comply with register requirements. In 2023, he was fined at York Magistrates’ Court for wilfully interrupting proceedings by refusing to enter the dock or participate in a hearing.

York Crown Court heard that Adams had been behind bars for 20 months on charges of breaching the register twice. Earlier this year, a jury determined that he had failed to notify police of his address on two occasions, as required by the register. During his court appearance, Adams disrupted proceedings by launching into a pre-prepared speech when asked to confirm his name, claiming the court and judge needed to produce non-existent certificates. Judge Simon Hickey ordered his removal from the dock, citing behaviour that prevented the hearing from proceeding, and Adams was taken to the court cells against his protests.

Represented by court-appointed barrister Brooke Morrison, Adams' case continued in his absence. Morrison informed the court that the breaches had not harmed children and were not intended to do so. Psychiatrists concluded that Adams' condition did not warrant sectioning under the Mental Health Act, and Judge Hickey noted that the probation service would face an 'impossible' task supervising him under a supervision order. With no other alternatives available since Adams had not been found guilty of a criminal offence, the judge issued an absolute discharge.

The court learned that Adams claimed to be living on a boat on the River Ouse at Bishopthorpe, but the boat's owner confirmed to police that he had no key or access, and the vessel was uninhabitable. Individuals on the sex offenders’ register must keep police informed of their address and personal details to enable monitoring, while sexual harm prevention orders restrict behaviours likely to lead to further sexual crimes. This case was reported by the York Press, with details from the hearing at York Crown Court.