death. 1983 In February 1983, Adamson sold behind-the-scenes stories about his co-stars to The Sun newspaper journalist Dan Slater, calling some Street actors "amateurs". He was given a warning by Bill Podmore and management at Granada that he would be dismissed for breach of contract if it ever happened again. Adamson was suspended from the programme for six weeks without pay, starting on 11 April 1983. Allegations On 24 April 1983, a Sunday newspaper reported Adamson had been arrested the previous day on suspicion of two incidents of indecent assault on two eight-year-old girls at a public swimming pool in Haslingden where he had assisted as a part-time instructor. The police complaint alleged Adamson's hands had strayed while he was giving swimming lessons. His final appearance as Len Fairclough was broadcast on 11 May, but it had been recorded in late March, before his arrest and suspension. Adamson asked Granada to write him out of the programme until his court case was over. His trial began on 18 July 1983 and he was represented by barrister George Carman QC, who had a prominent career defending celebrities. On 26 July 1983, at Burnley Crown Court, a jury found Adamson not guilty. Sacking After he was charged, Adamson was refused legal aid. Two weeks before the trial began, he approached Granada to see if they would help with a potentially large legal bill. As they were preparing to hand over a £10,000 loan cheque, Adamson admitted to Podmore and Granada management he had signed an unauthorised contract to sell his memoirs to The Sun and News of the World along with the story of his arrest and trial, which had left Adamson with legal bills of £120,000. Podmore called this "indefensible" and the cheque was hastily withdrawn. Adamson was sacked by Podmore in a letter sent to his house whilst he was on holiday in Bali on 25 August 1983. The letter stated Granada would not renew Adamson's contract, which expired in November 1983, and that he would be paid up to then. At the time of his sacking, Adamson was earning a reported £25,000 a year. In 1974, he had been earning £12,000 a year. On 12 September 1983, Podmore and Mervyn Watson made the decision to kill off Len Fairclough and he was killed off-screen in a motorway crash on 7 December 1983. To demonise the character, it was revealed