A FORMER teacher who failed to make a single payment on a £30,000 car he purchased has avoided an immediate jail term.

Paul David Adams, 41, of Lakeside Way, Brynmawr, appeared at Newport Magistrates Court yesterday having pleaded guilty to one charge of fraud by false representation.

The court heard how Adams, who was sanctioned for two years over “issues with his care of students” at a teaching job before attempting to find work abroad, had bought the car in a bid to “keep up the persona” that he was doing well financially.

Adams had entered into an agreement to purchase an Audi A4 with finance company Moneybarn in June 2015, with the requirement that regular monthly payments would be paid.

But Rob Simkins, prosecuting, said: “He received the vehicle and the company received not a penny from him because he failed to make the payments and failed to return the vehicle.”

Between September and October 2015, numerous messages were left by Moneybarn to no response from Adams.

During this period a default notice was issued by the creditors and the agreement was terminated.

Mr Simkins said that on one occasion, Adams had sent an email to Moneybarn “disputing the fact that he hadn’t paid”.

The car remained at large for several months, with Adams telling Moneybarn in May of that year that he had no knowledge of the car’s whereabouts.

The defendant alleges to have sent another email in August saying “I told you where the vehicle is, I wish you would come and get it” but Mr Simkins said that Adams “had done no such thing.”

A return of goods order was issued by Newport County Court in February 2016 but it took until February 2017 for the car to be recovered.

Between June 2015 and February 2017, Mr Simkins told the court that the car’s value had depreciated to around £18,000.

After his arrest, Adams told officers that he had used Microsoft Paint to create fraudulent pay slips that were used as proof of income.

The court also heard that Adams wanted to “keep up the persona” that he was financially sound and “doing just as well” as his estranged wife, with whom he has five children.

In a police interview, Adams said: “I took a loan knowing I couldn’t afford it, I was delusional.

“I wanted to keep the pretence that my life was doing well – it became a game.”

Adams has no previous convictions but was cautioned for an offence of false representation to make personal gains by Metropolitan Police in June 2016.

Gareth Driscoll, defending, said that his client had made “a lot of people do a lot of work” in recovering the vehicle but had expressed “deep remorse”.

He said: “This is a man who is 41, whose marriage had fallen apart for whatever reason. His job had crumbled, he was struggling and he felt he was a failure.

“His only saving grave is that he admitted his wrongdoing in interview.”

Chief magistrate Alan David Gwyn handed Adams a 26-week sentence suspended for a year and ordered him to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.