A PAEDOPHILE named in a vigilante leaflet put through 250 Swindon letterboxes was due out of jail and expected to be back in town today.

He was sentenced to six years in 1998 for sexual offences against two boys, but granted early release last year.

However, last August, he was returned to prison to serve the remainder of his sentence after a breach of early release conditions which the police declined to talk about.

The previous month, a woman called Melanie Singer was arrested and cautioned over a public order matter after pushing leaflets through letterboxes in the neighbourhood where Adams was living.

The leaflets said in part: "Beware. Watch your children. Do you realise you have a convicted paedophile in your area?"

When the Evening Advertiser asked Adams for his reaction to the leaflets at the time, he would only say: "This is vicious I shall be calling the police."

Adams was due for release today, and the Evening Advertiser understood that he planned to live in the same neighbourhood, which we have decided not to identify.

Detective Inspector Paul Jennings of Swindon CID declined to comment specifically on the Adams case, but said police had the situation under control.

He said: "Swindon police, in partnership with other agencies, operates a sensitive policing plan which deals with convicted sex offenders released into the community.

"Although we are unable to divulge details on individuals, we can confirm that registered sex offenders do live within the Swindon community and are registered with the police. Their registration enables us to maintain a current file as to where they are residing and other specific details.

"I would like to reassure the residents of Swindon that there are mechanisms in place for the police to maintain an appropriate response in line with individual risk assessment."

Adams' impending release has been the subject of a story in a national newspaper, which claimed that one of his victims was moving 100 miles to get away from him.

Melanie Singer, who claimed to be a friend of one of the victims, said after being cautioned: "The system stinks.

"People have every right to know if someone like this is living in their area, but because this man made a complaint the police were compelled to investigate and I was treated like the criminal.

"I can't help thinking that he had more rights than the rest of us."

When the Evening Advertiser called at the house where Adams was expected to stay on release, there was no answer at the door, and only a small number of neighbours were willing to say anything about him.

One, who asked not to be named, said: "This is terrible I thought we had seen the last of him last year."