Andy Carroll has chosen to identify the man convicted of sexually assaulting him, ending the anonymity that had surrounded a traumatic episode which, he says, reached into both his private life and his football career. The former Liverpool forward names Kevin Adams in his autobiography, Owning It, after the convicted man’s identity became available through public court records.
A decision made for other survivors
Carroll said the assault, which occurred in 2021, had a devastating effect on his everyday life and left him struggling to focus on football. The 37-year-old added the account to his book late in the writing process, with the intention of raising awareness and offering support to other people affected by abuse.
- Carroll said he wants to move beyond an experience that profoundly affected him.
- He described the impact as extending beyond the original incident, affecting his personal life and professional concentration.
- The former England international asked supporters and media organisations not to circulate photographs showing him with Adams, saying such images force him to revisit the experience.
Adams, a dance teacher known for his work on the BBC programme Fame Academy, had previously not been named by Carroll himself. The player’s decision to do so follows the appearance of Adams’s name in publicly accessible legal documentation.
Chelmsford conviction and sentence
At Chelmsford Crown Court in September 2023, Adams, now 59, was convicted of sexually assaulting Carroll. He received a 20-month prison sentence.
- Adams was ordered to remain on the sex offenders register for 10 years.
- A restraining order bars him from Carroll’s residential area.
- Judge Mary Loram criticised Adams at sentencing for attempting to present himself as the victim and for seeking to manipulate the account of events during the case.
After Carroll publicly confirmed his identity, Adams made his social-media accounts private. He has not made any further public statement.
