Man guilty of rape and deliberate HIV infections
Northumbria PoliceThis article contains details some people may find distressing
A "callous sexual predator" has been found guilty of rape and deliberately infecting seven men with HIV, one of whom was aged 15 at the time.
Adam Hall, 43, targeted young, vulnerable men he met online or at bars in Newcastle and had unprotected sex with them without telling them of his HIV status, the city's crown court heard.
He was found guilty of raping four men and intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm upon them and three others. Police believe there could be more victims across northern England and London.
Hall, from Washington, near Sunderland, who had not been taking medication to keep the virus at non-infectious levels, was remanded in custody and will be sentenced in April.
The court had heard Hall was diagnosed with HIV in August 2010 for which he was prescribed medication.
But by 2016 medical professionals came to realise Hall had "not been adhering to his treatment", making him infectious to anyone he had sex with.
'Knew what he was doing'
Prosecutors said that between 2015 and 2023 Hall intended to deliberately wreck the lives of the complainants by not telling them of his diagnosis and knowingly having unprotected sex with them while not taking his medication.
One of the men, none of whom can be identified, was 15 when Hall infected him, with the others in their late teens and early 20s.
His victims only found out they had the disease after subsequently testing positive themselves.
Hall had claimed his sexual preference had been "weaponised" against him and HIV was not serious harm.
The 97-day long trial began in November, with jurors taking 42 hours and 51 minutes across nine days to reach a mix of unanimous and majority verdicts on 15 counts.
Opening the trial, prosecutor Kama Melly KC had told the jury Hall sought out "young and vulnerable men" and "knew precisely what he was doing" when he infected them.
Speaking outside court after the verdicts were announced, Det Ch Insp Emma Smith, from Northumbria Police, said Hall was a "callous calculating sexual predator".
"He has shown absolutely no remorse for the extensive suffering and distress he has caused," she said.
The force said it believed there were more men Hall had sexual contact with who had not been identified, as well as evidence he travelled to areas including County Durham, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Manchester, and London.
"We would encourage anyone who may have health concerns to seek advice and support from your local sexual health services," Smith added.
Amy Dixon, of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said Hall was "wholly aware" of the risks and it was "clear" he "fully intended to cause the harmful lifelong consequences that his victims now face".
Sentencing was adjourned to 23 April with Judge Edward Bindloss saying he needed a report prepared to assess Hall's "dangerousness".
Hall will also be sentenced for drug dealing offences, with the judge saying he faced "a very long sentence indeed".
The judge thanked jurors for their service, saying it had been an "extraordinarily complex and troubling case" with emotionally and intellectually difficult evidence to which they had given "clear care and attention".
He said each would be excused from ever having to do jury service again.
- If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, help can be found at BBC Action Line