HIV rapist who roamed UK to infect vulnerable males as young as 15 is jailed

"Dangerous" sexual predator Adam Hall has been jailed for life after deliberately infecting vulnerable men with HIV. The 43-year-old was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 23 years and 42 days - having spent 323 days on remand - for 22 counts, including five of rape and seven of causing grievous bodily harm with intent through the intentional transmission of the HIV virus. Hall was also found guilty of supplying a controlled drug (GHB) and failing to comply with a police investigation after refusing to provide his phone's password. The offences relate to seven victim-survivors, between 2016 and 2023. Detectives said the former sex shop worker spent seven years on a mission to infect "as many sexual partners as possible". He travelled the country meeting men using the Grindr app. His youngest victim was just 15 and learned about his HIV diagnosis as he got off the school bus. Hall is just the second person in the UK to be convicted of intentional transmission of HIV. He was diagnosed with HIV in 2010 and took medication to keep his viral load down. But in 2016, medical professionals became concerned that was not adhering to his treatment, making him infectious to others he slept with. Despite being warned, Hall had unprotected sex with men between 2016 and 2023, in some cases raping them. Hall will be 67 before he can apply for parole and must sign the sex offenders register for life. His Honour Judge Edward Bindloss said Hall - who refused to attend court - was guilty of 22 counts over seven years. Describing Hall as "dangerous", Judge Bindloss told him on Thursday as if he were in court: "You targeted young men and deliberately infected them with HIV. You knew you had been HIV positive since 2010 and you deliberately chose not to take anti-viral drugs. You were interested in your pleasure only. You acted selfishly and you were using them for your sexual purposes." Several victims were vulnerable teenagers who carried the "weight and trauma of shame", and had their "futures taken from them". Hall raped four of the men to whom he gave HIV, which was a "pattern of behaviour", the court heard. "They withdrew their consent but it made no difference to you," Judge Bindloss added. "You subjected one victim to coercive behaviour solely for your own pleasure." Hall's refusal to come into court was seen as a final insult and an attempt to exert control over his victims. Some of the victims courageously asked to read their impact statements in court, detailing the life-long impact of the virus. One man said: "When I was first diagnosed with HIV I felt like I had been given a death sentence." He added: "He left me a broken man, a shell of who I was. “What an utter betrayal of another human being.” He said that he “let the monster in” and blames himself and is now more wary and distrustful of people. He added: "He scarred me for life. I’m a broken man." Another victim said: "He gained my trust and hurt me in the most malicious way. The whole thing is unfair. He knew he was infected. He didn’t give me the option of accessing pre or post HIV exposure treatment. "I feel so angry for believing him. He is nothing but convincing. Since Hall infected me with HIV my life has been on hold. I don’t know how someone could do that to another human being. He has given me a secret I will be forced to keep for the rest of my life." Another young victim told how he received a phone call telling him he had HIV while on his way home from school. "I still find it very difficult to say or read his name," he said. "It was as though my world had just stopped. I was in a total state of disbelief and confusion. I couldn’t believe someone had done this to me. "When I got home I sat on my own and cried, I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t tell anyone at school. I had to keep what I was told to myself." 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. His youngest victim was just 15 years old. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that Hall failed to disclose his HIV status to those men and his victims only found out after being tested themselves. He was convicted of raping four men and deliberately infecting three more. Blood samples had to be taken from victims and compared to Hall's blood to prove the allegation of HIV transmission. Arrogant and unrepentant in police interviews, he denied the offences and shamelessly blamed his victims in court. Det Chief Inspector Emma Smith, who led the 'complex' investigation into Hall, paid tribute to the courage and dignity of the victims for bringing Hall to justice and protecting countless potential victims from harm. It soon became apparent that Hall's plan was to "infect as many people as he could", said DCI Smith. "All of the men were young, aged from 15 to their late 20s," she said. "Hall consistently failed to comply with his treatment regimen. He did not tell them of his status and had unprotected sex with them, raping some of the victims. "He was arrested in 2023 for breaching his interim sexual risk order and for one of the HIV transmissions, and has remained in custody ever since. "He had a history of targeting young vulnerable men, particularly those inexperienced sexually, men who had not had a same sex experience before. A power imbalance was part of the dynamic in these relationships. We believe that he deliberately set out to infect others with HIV." Northumbria Police is now investigating further allegations against Hall. DCI Smith added: "We believe there are a number of men who have yet to be identified. He met people online through dating apps . Since you do not have to provide your true identity on those, finding them is really difficult. "But we believe he had contact with other men. He has travelled across County Durham, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Manchester and London. "He has shown absolutely no remorse and has never apologised for his behaviour. We interviewed him on a number of occasions, he gave prepared statements and offered no comment therein. "He was arrogant and dismissive and that continued during the trial. In his live court testimony, he again showed no remorse and suggested that some of the victims wanted him to pass HIV to them which is absolutely not the case. "He bragged that the police investigation was going nowhere, maintaining that attitude and dismissing it. He was well known in the Newcastle gay scene and there is evidence he was involved in chemsex. "He was travelling predominantly to meet other men. The evidence of his travel came from the apps. They can benefit many people, but I caution younger individuals who may lack experience meeting people online. We want to encourage anyone who thinks they have been victim of a criminal offence to come forward. "We would really encourage people to contact Northumbria Police via their website and seek advice from local sexual health services."