A Canberra sporting association chairman remained in his position for months after being jailed for child rape and grooming offences, with fellow members only learning the truth years later through an anonymous tip.
The Untold Story of a Predator in Plain Sight
When David Adams was sentenced to prison on August 24, 2018, for raping and grooming a 14-year-old boy, he held the prestigious position of board chairman for the Canberra & District Rugby League Referees Association. The association provides referees to local rugby league matches across Canberra and surrounding NSW areas.
Four days after Adams began his prison term, minutes from a general meeting recorded his non-attendance and marked "no report" from the chairman. Members recalled how Adams had simply "disappeared off the face of the earth" without explanation.
Adams was not replaced as chairman until an annual general meeting held months later in February 2019, despite having already flagged he wouldn't contest the next board election - likely knowing he'd be in prison when votes were cast.
Shocking Return to the Fold
After being granted parole, Adams remarkably returned to the association, initially keeping his life membership. He attended two annual dinners, an annual general meeting, and a referee training session with children as young as 13 present.
Even more alarmingly, Adams was asked to publicly present an award to a child at the 2023 association annual dinner. A photo of that presentation was published on social media but later removed.
Several current and former members, speaking on condition of anonymity, described discovering Adams's "sickening" criminal case years after it occurred. One member recalled being directly coached by the rapist when they were 16, while another found evidence of being appointed to the same game as him.
"I still want the best for the association. But I think what they've done is not good enough, it's terrible," one member said. Another added: "I felt that going public was the only way to force them to actually do anything."
The Crimes and Concealment
In 2018, David Thomas Adams received a more than three-year jail sentence with a 21-month non-parole period after pleading guilty to three counts of sexual intercourse with a child and one count of grooming.
ACT Supreme Court sentencing remarks revealed Adams had exchanged 598 messages with a 14-year-old boy he met on a dating app between August and November 2016. The self-described "horny daddy" met the child three separate times for sexual acts.
Justice John Burns found Adams had tried to minimise his culpability by maintaining he believed the boy was old enough to consent, despite "very clear red flags" indicating his actual age.
In a statement, current chairman Oliver Levido and executive officer Chris Nightingale revealed the association learned about Adams's imprisonment in August 2018 but claimed "it was presented as a private matter unrelated to rugby league or refereeing."
The association only discovered the nature of Adams's charges in March 2024 following an anonymous tip to the NRL Integrity Unit. Adams was then asked to resign his life membership.
Systemic Failures and Safety Concerns
Adams's Working With Vulnerable People registration was suspended as a result of his crimes, yet it's understood he continued being appointed to games as a referee coach after this suspension.
Multiple members described "terrible" registration databases and clear information gaps regarding working with children checks for those appointing referees to games each week.
George Maher, one of the members who spoke out, explained his motivation: "Because the chance that it could happen again." He described the board's response as wanting to "sweep the whole thing under the rug."
Current chairman Oliver Levido wrote in an email earlier this year that "all our members" should be eligible for a Working With Vulnerable People registration, adding: "And if they are not, then I will have no qualms in cancelling their membership and banning them for life."
Canberra Region Rugby League general manager Mark Vergano confirmed Adams has now received a lifetime ban from registering with any rugby league organisation in Australia.
