Adam Hall, a 43-year-old man from Washington, Tyne and Wear, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 23 years and 42 days for intentionally transmitting HIV and raping multiple men. His youngest victim, who was just 15 years old when they met, received the devastating news of his HIV-positive status moments after stepping off his school bus.
Victim's Harrowing Account
Now 22, the victim described the moment his life changed forever. "I had just got off the school bus and was walking home when the phone rang," he said. "The sexual health clinic was explaining that I was HIV positive. Everything shatters, everything went numb. I was mortified, shattered at myself. I felt like I was sinking, I was angry. I could not comprehend why someone could do this, to harm somebody."
He described how Hall's actions stripped away his life, leaving him to face lifelong stigma and health challenges. "My life was stripped away. A lot of people see it as a death sentence - that you sleep around, that you were dirty, it is a harmful process from start to finish."
Impact on Mental Health
The victim also spoke about the psychological toll of Hall's defence. "For Hall to have the defence in court that having this virus really isn't that bad was deeply upsetting and negatively impacted my mental health." He highlighted the lifelong consequences: "From the need to take daily medication and the awful side effects, to the difficult conversations I will always need to have with future partners, the fear of friends and extended family members finding out and the stigma I will always face."
Hall's Refusal to Face Victims
Hall refused to appear in court to hear his sentence, remaining in his cell at HMP Durham. This was seen as a final insult and an attempt to exert control over his victims. Four of his victims courageously read their personal statements in court, detailing the lifelong impact of the virus, but Hall refused to face them.
The law to compel offenders to appear in court, established in the name of murdered nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, was supposed to take effect on April 21 but has not yet received royal assent.
Details of the Offences
Hall was convicted on March 5 of five counts of rape and seven counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, making him only the second person in the UK to be convicted of intentional HIV transmission. He was diagnosed with HIV in 2010 but stopped adhering to his treatment in 2016, making him infectious. Despite warnings, he had unprotected sex with men between 2016 and 2023, in some cases raping them, without disclosing his status.
Kama Melly KC, prosecuting, said Hall was "repeatedly told about the risks of what he was doing" but "repeatedly found young and often vulnerable males for sexual activity." Craig Hassall, mitigating, argued the offending did not amount to a rape campaign and noted evidence of interest in aggression from some partners in Grindr messages.
Investigation and Victim Impact
The huge investigation involved 35,000 hours of police time, seven dedicated detectives, 450 statements, 1,600 documents, 670 exhibits, and 37 witnesses. Detective Chief Inspector Emma Smith of Northumbria Police worked closely with victims alongside Crown Prosecution Service chief prosecutor Amy Dixon.
One victim described how Hall's actions left him a "shell of who I was." Another said the diagnosis felt like a "death sentence" due to stigma. A third victim faced homophobic comments at work and had to "re-write my life and do everything from scratch." Many victims described isolation, addiction, job loss, and broken relationships.
Speaking after the conviction, one victim said: "I just broke down there and then. I had been believed. It was so important that the jury believed me. It felt like a massive weight had been lifted from my shoulders."
