A 43-year-old man from Washington, UK, who is on trial at Newcastle Crown Court for allegedly infecting seven men with HIV, has told the jury that he disclosed his medical status to his sexual partners before having sex with them.
Adam Hall is accused of raping five men and inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent on seven counts. The prosecution claims that Hall had unprotected sex with younger men he met online or in bars in Newcastle, without informing them of his HIV-positive status or taking the necessary medication to make himself non-infectious.
However, Hall denies the allegations, stating that he had no intention to cause harm or deliberately transmit the disease. He told the court that when he informed one of the complainants of his HIV-positive status, the man “didn’t seem that bothered” and claimed he was already taking preventative medication.
Regarding another complainant, Hall said the purpose of their meeting was to have sex, and they took drugs together before engaging in sexual activity. Hall stated that he told the man, who was younger than him, about his HIV status “pretty much straightaway, before any sexual contact.”
The court has heard that Hall was diagnosed with HIV in August 2010. He previously told the court that he had a brain injury caused by a car accident in 2021 and was taking medication for his condition.
The trial, which began in November, is ongoing. If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, help can be found at the BBC Action Line.
