Adam Atherton sent the victim large sums of money with vile threatening messages attached
A young man has landed in court after he was found to have sent a string of threatening messages to a woman online and having stalked her to the pub.
Adam Atherton, who referred to himself as ‘Slave Adam’, contacted the financial dominatrix and sent her large sums of money, but attached terrifying messages to the payments with violent fantasies about sexually assaulting her and hitting her with a hammer.
The 24-year-old first sent the victim, who worked as a “findom” – a type of dominatrix who financially dominates people – a cash donation in November 2024 under the username ‘Slave Adam’. A meeting was then arranged for two days later, but the victim late received an anonymous message: “Watch out for me in Liverpool. I might rape you”, which caused her to cancel the arrangement and block the account.
The court heard that didn’t deter Atherton whose behaviour continued to snowball. It reached a head when the victim was on a night out with friends in Liverpool city centre and played the “Wetherspoon’s game”, posting her table number and location so followers and fans could send her drinks. Instead, Atherton arrived at the pub and sat on the table behind her, with the victim only being alerted to the fact he was there because of the nature of his continuing messages.
A crown court judge told Atherton: “You are an individual who at this stage in your life had trouble with forming healthy relationships with females. It is clear you embarked on this behaviour in a way that got out of any level of control and resulted in behaviour that, when you look back at the messages, regret and are remorseful for.”
Bethany Leigh, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday that the victim, whose identity is protected as a result of the nature of the messages sent by Atherton, had blocked the account from ‘Slave Adam’ at the first instance of the rape threat but received another message from him a month later.
Around October 2024, Atherton asked for the money back and apologised for his previous behaviour where he said his autism caused him to say things without meaning to, reports Liverpool Echo.
But in March last year, the victim said she was “terrified” when she realised he was sat behind her in Wetherspoons. Ms Leigh told the court she received a message from Atherton which said: “Sorry goddess, the service is slow in here. Do you notice me?”
He followed that with another message which said: “You are so beautiful. I have to see you for myself. I’m sick but I’m trying to become better.” The victim realised at this point the defendant was sitting behind her in the pub. Her friend told the pub staff and Atherton was asked to leave, but continued to loiter outside.
Ms Leigh said Atherton again apologised but later sent further messages telling her he would sexually assault her and it would be her fault. In October last year he also said he would hit her with a hammer.
These messages continued intermittently until he was eventually arrested and interviewed on May 21, 2026, where he made “full and frank admissions”. He told police he made the sexually violent threats because they were the “most extreme thing he could say to get a reaction”, Ms Leigh said.
The victim told the court the impact of Atherton’s actions had been “profound and it’s impacted my sense of safety”. She said: “I have lived with constant stress, anxiety and fear knowing he was threatening me. It left me feeling vulnerable and unable to relax.”
The victim said the most frightening incident was when she was in the pub and Atherton followed her. “He positioned himself behind me,” she said. “This made me feel terrified and trapped…I immediately feared for my safety.”
She said after being asked to leave he remained outside “trapping” her inside the building. “Looking back I genuinely dread to think what would have happened if I had been alone…he was willing to seek me out and harm me.”
The victim said after the pub incident she stopped socialising in Liverpool city centre because of fears he would find her again. She continued: “His behaviour restricted my freedom…as his messages became more threatening I became terrified of what he would do if I encountered him again in person.”
She finished: “I feel this experience has changed me…I have been trapped in a continuous nightmare. No human being should be subjected to the vile misogynistic actions of Atherton. He tried to dehumanise me but by coming forward I have shown him to be the weak one.”
Atherton, of Fisher Avenue in Whiston, admitted stalking causing fear of violence at a plea and trial preparation hearing. He had no previous convictions.
In mitigation, Lloyd Morgan, defending, said: “When the court heard the messages the court could be forgiven for coming to the conclusion this was a very dangerous man, but in my submissions the documents [provided by his family] paint a different picture about the person doing the offending.”
Mr Morgan told the court his client had been open and honest about the offending when interviewed by the Probation Service and there “was no minimisation of his actions or the impact on the complainant”. He added: “He is a young man who recognised what he did was wrong and wanted to do something about it.”
The court heard Atherton had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and emotional dysregulation, and was on the autism spectrum disorder pathway. Since his arrest he had also been undergoing therapy and counselling and was under the support of Mersey Care.
Mr Morgan added: “He has a stable home, living with his parents, who both work. His brother, who is in court, was employed and his two other brothers’ work. There is no evidence of drug or alcohol abuse. Importantly this crosses over to the realistic prospect of rehabilitation.
“He has been found to show good self-reflection. He was open and showed good motivation to engage with treatment. The author [of the pre-sentence report] considered whether he had suffered trauma but came to the conclusion of no, but found he had been bullied and subject to social isolation.”
The court heard Atherton had ceased paying money to women online “with the assistance of a psychiatrist” after sending around £4,000 in total to various people on the internet. Mr Morgan said Atherton was university-educated, had been employed in a number of jobs in the community and was at the time of his arrest on a council gardening apprenticeship.
Sentencing, Recorder Carwyn Cox: “The complainant was a woman who you had entered into a contact with based upon a relationship you were perceiving for sexual gratification as she was offering her services as a dominatrix for financial domination; something you at that time found gratifying.
“Unfortunately you were not able to control yourself and your behaviour deteriorated to the point you were sending grossly inappropriate messages. The court has heard what was contained in those messages and the extent of the threats made to her.
“Compounding that was an incident which took place when you attend a Wetherspoon public house when [the victim] was on a night out with friends. She was playing the Wetherspoon’s game, when groups post what table they are at and seek people to buy them drinks.
“You became aware, which shows you were still tracking what she was doing, and attended causing her a significant amount of fear. She wanted you removed but you still hung around. Your messaging still continued and you sought her friends to contact her.
“The level of threats is something that is troubling. You have said you would never act on those messages, but you get some gratification from the way you were interacting. All of this behaviour came to an end in April of this year when the police were contacted and you were arrested.”
Recorder Cox sentenced Atherton, who wore a blue suit and sported brown hair in the dock, to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years. Atherton will also have to carry out 20 rehabilitation days and 200 hours of unpaid work. The judge also imposed a restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim for five years.
Atherton, who was supported in court by his brother, thanked the judge after being told: “I hope you never come back here again.”
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