Former Devon choirmaster died day before child abuse trial

A former choirmaster ended his life by stepping off a Devon cliff in Devon the day before he was due to stand trial accused of sexually abusing six boys in Devon and Cornwall, an inquest has heard. Adrian Carpenter, 75, of Colyton, had previously made a suicide attempt three years prior at another cliff in Devon after being arrested over historic offences but survived and suffered significant injuries.

The married piano tuner and technician, and father-of-three, had been due to appear at Exeter Crown Court on October 10, 2023, after pleading not guilty to the charges at a previous hearing. Police were notified of concerns for his welfare the day before after he sent a worrying text message to his daughter stating where he could be located.

Mr Carpenter's walking stick and sunglasses were discovered at the top of a cliff in Beer. His body was found towards the bottom of the cliff in thick undergrowth using heat sensor equipment and was recovered by coastguards. His unlocked car was found in a car park nearby containing a suicide note addressed to his wife.

Read next:

• Brothers guilty of Torquay dad's death but cleared of murder

• Family of beloved Babbacombe Cliff Railway victim still awaiting answers

The cause of his death was multiple injuries and police confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances.

In a statement read out during the hearing at Exeter Coroner’s Court on Tuesday, April 23, his wife told how they had been married for 54 years. She recalled he had made his first suicide attempt in 1989 after an accusation had been made against him but he had been saved.

Then in 2020, he stepped from cliffs in Axmouth after being arrested but survived the fall. She told that close friends had been aware of his upcoming trial in October 2023, and that it had been reported in the media, but she did not know if he had received any negativity as a result.

She said: "The week leading up to his death seemed alright. I had no idea what he had planned. He was worried about the trial but was a private man and did not share a lot with me about it."

On the day of his death, she said he had 'seemed fine' and 'in control' and had said he was off to tune a piano and was then going to speak to an accountant as he had decided to retire and close his business. She said she then received a call from their daughter around midday saying she had been sent a concerning text from him and was then later notified his body had been recovered from cliffs nearby.

Describing their marriage, she said: "My marriage to Adrian is full of happy memories. There were ups and downs but we had a very loving relationship. I love him very much and I miss him a lot."

Their daughter who received the last text message he sent told in a statement how she had a 'great, happy childhood' and was raised by parents who were 'very loving and caring'. She recalled that when she was seven, Mr Carpenter went to prison for 10 months but she didn't know the details about why until she was 15 when he made his first suicide attempt.

She told how when he was sent to prison the family moved to a new village in Somerset.

Describing her dad, she said; "He was a loving man who had some very difficult faults but he was a loving and caring person. I did try to talk about it [with him] but I sensed it was deeply shameful for him. He would shut down and not talk about his feelings."

She continued: "I made a conscious decision not to involve myself in the details of the offences."

She added: "I don't condone what dad did but I accepted him as my dad and still loved him."

Concerning his last arrest, she admitted she had been 'very concerned' he would take his own life and that he was expecting a prison sentence.

She recalled she had last seen him the day before his death when she had gone out with her parents for lunch.

She said: "When mum went to the toilet he said, 'please look after mum for me'. At the time I thought he meant it was because he knew he was going to prison but looking back now he obviously knew he was taking his own life and had been planning it."

A statement from Mr Carpenter's GP confirmed he had been suffering from depression and anxiety since his arrest and had been receiving mental health help from Devon Partnership Trust's criminal justice liaison and diversion team who offered support during the court process.

A senior mental health nurse told in a statement how he had denied having suicidal thoughts or intentions due to the distress it would cause his family having seen the effects of his suicide attempt in 2020.

Recording a conclusion of suicide, Alison Longhorn, area coroner for Exeter and greater Devon, said: "He died at the side of a cliff on Beer Road, Seaton, having intentionally fallen from above. He had a history of mental ill health and had been experiencing significant challenging life events and left what appeared to be an end of life note."

Mr Carpenter had been due to be tried on 17 allegations of indecent or sexual assault or incitement against six different boys aged seven to 12. All but two of the charges dated from 1986 to 1992 when Mr Carpenter had been a choirmaster in Cornwall.

The last two allegations related to sexual assaults against a boy aged 11 to 12 after he moved to East Devon. The case was closed by Judge David Evans at a hearing at Exeter Crown Court in October 2023.

Three of his alleged victims attended the short hearing via a remote link. Addressing them, Judge Evans said: “It is probably right to explain that because criminal proceedings are brought against an individual person, the law says that the death of that person brings them to an immediate end.

“Therefore Mr Carpenter’s suicide has thwarted these proceedings and prevented justice from running its course through to trial. His only convictions remain that for indecent assaults committed against boys in his care when he was working as a housemaster in Gloucestershire, for which he received 15 months imprisonment.

“It does seem rather astonishing that a man with that offending history should, just one year afterwards, have obtained employment as a choirmaster, but that is what happened.”