HIV rape accused 'had no intention to harm'

This article contains details some people may find distressing.

A man accused of deliberately infecting seven men with HIV has told jurors he had no intention of causing harm.

Prosecutors claim Adam Hall had sex with men he met at bars in Newcastle or online, but did not tell them he was HIV positive, did not use protection and did not take the drugs he should have to make him non-infectious.

Hall, 43 and from Washington, denies raping five men and seven counts of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent.

He told jurors at Newcastle Crown Court any sexual contact was consensual and his sexual partners knew about his medical status.

The court heard Hall was a "regular on the scene in Newcastle", a collection of gay bars and pubs known as the Triangle, since he was 18 and had three or four sexual contacts with other men per month.

He was diagnosed with HIV in August 2010 when he was aged about 28 and prescribed with antiretroviral medication to be taken every night before he went to bed, the court heard.

He said there were occasions when he did not take his medication because he missed the "window", but usually he took it because he was "told to" by doctors and "needed to".

The court heard Hall's viral load, which determines a person's infectiousness, fluctuated over the following years.

When asked by his barrister Craig Hassall KC if there was ever a time he "did not want to remain compliant" with his medication, Hall replied: "No."

Hassall asked: "Was there ever a time when you deliberately didn't take your medication to make yourself more infectious?"

Hall replied: "No."

Hall said the first complainant, who he is accused of raping in 2015 but not of infecting with HIV, at no point said "no" or asked Hall to stop, and he never had any "concerns" the man was not happy.

Hall said a condom was used throughout and though the man took several bathroom breaks, he returned to the bed and "continued to play" after each one.

The barrister asked Hall if he told the man he was HIV positive, to which Hall replied: "Yeah of course."

He said he was smoking a cigarette while standing at the door of the pub where they had met when he told the man of his diagnosis.

Hall also said he was wearing a shirt for the HIV charity he volunteered at and was holding various pieces of paraphernalia, such as information leaflets and condoms, about the disease at the time.

He said he met the second complainant, who is he accused of raping and inflicting grievous bodily harm upon, in a bar in Newcastle in 2016.

Hall went to his home with the man to "play" and the man gave no sign he was not content or consenting, the court heard.

He said after some "kissing and mutual groping", the man said he wanted Hall to have sex with him but Hall couldn't "maintain an erection" as the house was "freezing".

Hall said the man asked to "try anyway" but it was "pointless" and they did not have sex.

Asked if he was trying to infect the "cause really serious harm" to him, Hall replied: "No."

Hall also told jurors he began volunteering for a charity offering support to people with HIV, where he acted as a cook.

When that charity collapsed, he and several others set up a successor to keep offering services, Hall told the court.

The trial, which began in November, continues.

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