‘Arrogant’ former Tony Blair aide was linked to Edinburgh Festival rape by camper van pic

Mark Adams, 56, was found guilty on Tuesday of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old student in Regent Road. Pic: BBC

Divorced father-of-four Mark Adams attacked his 19-year-old victim while she slept on the floor of his VW on August 10, 2017 in Regent Road.

Adams, 56, who served Tony Blair and John Major, was jailed for seven years at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday.

Detective Inspector Kevin Harkins said: “Adams is an arrogant man who preyed upon a woman as she walked home. He is a highly opportunistic offender who has no regard for those he attacks.”

Detectives trawled CCTV and quickly identified Adams’ camper van, registered at his home in Fareham, Hampshire.

“CCTV identified the camper van and we also had forensic evidence,” said DI Harkins. “Social media helped us. There was a picture on his Facebook of him with the camper van in Edinburgh.”

Adams was arrested and interviewed but claimed the sex was consensual, putting his victim through a harrowing trial.

DI Harkins added: “I would like to commend the victim in this case for her courage and I hope that after today’s sentencing, she is now able to move on from this horrendous ordeal.”

It was Adams’ second conviction for rape in the space of three months after he was jailed for seven years at Woolwich Crown Court in January.

Judge Lord Armstrong yesterday ordered Adams to serve his latest sentence after the seven years he is currently serving.

The court heard that former private secretary Adams, awarded an OBE in 1997, now accepts he raped the young woman.

Lord Armstrong told Adams: “You took advantage of a vulnerable woman in a calculated and manipulative manner when she was alone and making her way through the streets of Edinburgh.

“You have expressed remorse. I may say, however, that is more than justified.

“A victim impact statement makes it clear your actions have had a devastating and detrimental effect on her.

“The crime of rape is a grave one from which women should be protected.”

Adams’ latest rape victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he found her walking home after a night out.

She told the court: “He bent down and picked me up and took me towards his vehicle. I was quite drunk. I was struggling to get into the van.”

Cambridge graduate Adams was jailed in England in January for raping a 24-year-old woman as she slept at his London house in 2015 on the morning after the general election.

He was also convicted of sexual assault in a Welsh court last year after offering a barmaid £300 to spend the night with him and told her: “That’s a lot of money to you, isn’t it.”

Adams, who was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register, showed no emotion as he was led away to the cells.