Victims of dangerous sexual predator Adam Hall have spoken of their relief at being believed after he was sentenced to life in prison. Hall, 43, travelled across the country seeking sexual encounters with inexperienced young men, with police alleging he was on a mission to infect as many people as possible with the HIV virus.
Relief for victims
In the public gallery, victims listened intently as the judge told Hall he could not apply for parole until he was 67 years old. Prosecutor Kama Melly KC embraced one victim who bravely read his impact statement from the witness box. Hall, who was transported from Durham prison, refused to enter Court 1 to hear the statements.
One victim, who was 17 and still at school when he met Hall, said he did not realise he was HIV positive until rashes appeared all over his body. "I blamed myself, the whole thing has had a huge impact on my life and left a massive hole in my heart," he said. "It was the mistake I made when I was just 17. It has changed me in ways that I can't explain."
The youngest victim, aged just 15 when infected, had celebrated his 16th birthday when he received his diagnosis after getting off the school bus. "My life changed instantly," he said. "Hall's disgustingly harmful actions, lies and deceitfulness have taken so much from me. His actions will have a negative impact on my life forever."
Another victim expressed his happiness upon hearing the conviction: "I just broke down there and then. I was believed. It was so important that the jury believed me. It felt like a massive weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I felt so relieved." He added that others had judged him many times because of his diagnosis, and treatment would be a part of his life forever. A further victim described a "ten-day dalliance" that had ruined his life. All victim-survivors provided Victim Personal Statements to demonstrate the lifelong physical and psychological effects of Hall's offending.
Extensive investigation
The Mirror reported that Hall travelled from his home in Donvale Road, Washington, Tyne and Wear, to meet men in London, Manchester, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, County Durham, and Middlesbrough. The investigation into his predatory behaviour involved 35,000 hours of police time, seven dedicated detectives, 450 statements, 1,600 documents, 670 exhibits, and 37 witnesses who gave evidence at his trial. Blood samples were taken from victims and compared to Hall's to prove HIV transmission.
Hall refused to attend Newcastle Crown Court to face his victims. Sentencing him to life with a minimum term of 23 years and 42 days, His Honour Judge Edward Bindloss said his refusal was "entirely in keeping with the indifference shown to the suffering of others." Addressing Hall as if he were in court, the judge stated: "You were convicted of seven counts of GBH. You knew you had been HIV positive since 2010 and put partners at risk without condoms. The evidence was clear: you did not take drugs and made the virus transmissible. You lied to your sexual partners, misled them, and failed to inform them afterward. It is a pattern of behaviour that operated over six to seven years. The facts of this case make the life sentence justifiable. This is a high culpability case because you risked the transfer of HIV."
Rape and grievous bodily harm
Hall raped four young men to whom he gave HIV, reflecting a pattern of behaviour. He was found guilty of five counts of rape and seven counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent through intentional transmission of HIV. He was also convicted of supplying a controlled drug (GHB) and failing to comply with a police investigation by refusing to provide his phone password. The offences related to seven victim-survivors between 2016 and 2023. Hall had denied the offences but was found guilty on Thursday, March 5, following a four-month trial. As part of his sentence, Hall will spend the rest of his life on the Sex Offenders' Register.
Detective Chief Inspector Emma Smith of Northumbria Police said: "Adam Hall has now been sentenced to life imprisonment for his abhorrent offending. We remain exceptionally grateful to the victim-survivors who came forward to report Hall's crimes and who have bravely supported our investigation. It is because of them that this sexual predator is now behind bars and will be closely monitored for the rest of his life. I hope the outcome can provide some sort of closure for them and allow them to move forward with their lives – if that is at all possible." She added: "We can confirm we have an ongoing investigation into further reports made in relation to Adam Hall. Our priority firmly remains supporting anyone who has been impacted by Hall's actions in whatever way we can. Anyone who believes they may be a victim of a criminal offence is encouraged to come forward."
