What did HIV rapist Adam Hall's victims say?

Men who were deliberately infected with HIV by a rapist have said he was a "nasty piece of work" who betrayed them.

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.

Hall, from Washington near Sunderland, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 23 years after being found guilty of intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm upon seven people, four of whom he raped.

In victim impact statements read in part in court and released by Northumbria Police, the men said the Hall's actions would affect the rest of their lives.

The first man said he was "naive" when he met Hall, who was his "first gay experience".

"I have been left a shell of who I was," the man said, adding Hall had betrayed him in the "worst ways possible".

"It has been years since Hall has been in my life, but my life has never gone back to how it was before I met him," the man said.

He said he would have to take medication for the rest of his life to remain "well and undetectable".

He said he "gained comfort" from Hall's conviction, and the rapist would "finally have to face the consequences for what he has done to me and many others".

The second man said his diagnosis felt like a "death sentence" and Hall's actions had caused him to "lurch from one crisis to the next".

He said he was "vulnerable" at the time having recently finished a relationship, adding: "No one ever betrayed me the way Hall did."

He said he blamed himself when Hall raped him and the ongoing impact was being felt daily.

"Right now, day to day living can be exhausting," he said.

"I am a broken man. Hall changed me as a person, who I was to my core, and he did it all for his own gain."

The third man also said he was "vulnerable" and "easily manipulated".

"Hall took advantage of me," he said, adding: "He gained my trust and then hurt me in the most malicious way.

"The whole thing is so unfair, he knew he was infected and he thought he could get away with infecting me, that he was immune from any consequences.

"He didn't even give me the option to take any pre or post HIV exposure treatment."

He said the court process had been "gruelling" but it was "important" for him and "all the other victims" that Hall be brought to justice.

The fourth man said Hall was a "nasty piece of work" who "took advantage" of his "good nature".

"When I was first diagnosed with HIV, I just couldn't believe it," he said, adding: "It was the last thing I ever expected and I assumed it would never happen to me.

"All I can say is it ruined me. In that moment my life as I knew it was gone."

He said he faced "so much stigma" including homophobic comments after revealing his diagnosis, adding: "People I'd known for years calling me names, they all treated me differently because of the HIV."

He said: "My dalliance with Hall cost me dearly. I had no idea of his bad intentions when I first met him, although it didn't take long for his personality to show.

"I have had to re-write my life and do everything from scratch because of this one man."

A fifth man said his "main concern" was "facing unwanted social stigma, social ridicule and inciting conflicts with people over my HIV status".

"Unfortunately, these are worries I continue to have to this day," he said.

The court process had been an ordeal, with the cross-examination "both intimidating and confusing", he also said.

Hall's team had suggested he "willingly partook" in getting infected, and it had been claimed he "subjected [himself] to a life-long disease in the pursuit of fulfilling a desire".

"I was appalled, upset, confused and frustrated," the man said, adding: "I hadn't spent three years of my life negotiating with police officials about this awful thing that happened to me, just to have it suggested I wanted it to happen to me."

He said he was now "reliant" on medication and doctors, and while medical advances allowed for a "healthy lifespan", there was "no cure for what's wrong".

"I no longer question if this was something I deserved, something that was my fault or if I had been at fault," the man said.

"I know now, there is only one person to blame, and that it is not me."

The sixth man said he was "so happy and glad" when he heard Hall had been convicted.

"I just broke down there and then," he said.

"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. I felt so relieved."

He said he had been "judged so many times" by other people because of his diagnosis, and treatment would be a part of his life forever.

The final man, who was 15 when he was infected, said he had only just celebrated his 16th birthday when he was told of his diagnosis.

"Getting that diagnosis at that age and the immediate impact on me was huge, my life changed instantly," he said.

Hall's claim, made in his defence, that HIV was not really serious harm as it could be treated and managed was "deeply upsetting", the man said.

He also said medication could have "awful side effects" and the condition could lead to other health complications and he would always face "stigma".

"Hall's disgustingly harmful actions, his lies and his deceitfulness have taken so much from me," he said.

"His actions will have a lasting negative impact on my life forever."

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