A sick rapist deliberately infected seven men with HIV. Adam Hall, 43, has been found guilty of raping four men and inflicting griveous bodily harm upon them and three others.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how Hall, of Washington, near Sunderland, preyed on young and vulnerable men he met online or at bars. He then had unprotected sex with them despite being diagnosed with HIV in August 2010. One of his victims was just 15-years-old at the time.

As reported by the BBC, Hall was prescribed medication after testing positive for HIV. However, doctors realised six years later that he had not been taking his medication which meant he was infectious to anyone he had sex with.

As well as the seven victims, police believe there could be a number more across northern England and London. Prosecutors said Hall purposely failed to tell them about his diagnosis before knowingly having unprotected sex with them between 2015 and 2023.

The 43-year-old claimed HIV was not of serious harm, adding that his sexual preference had been "weaponised" against him. However, jurors reached a mix of unanimous and majority verdicts following a 97-day long trial to find him guilty of rape and grievous bodily harm.

Kama Melly KC, prosecuting, said Hall "knew precisely what he was doing" when he infected the young and vulnerable men. Meanwhile, Detective Chief Inspector Emma Smith, of Northumbria Police, described him as a "callous calculating sexual predator" who has shown no remorse.

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Alice Wiseman, Director of Public Health for Newcastle and Gateshead, described the case as "devastating" and has urged any other victims of sexual offences to come forward for support. The body is continuing to work with police to support Hall's victims.

She said: "I know that there will be many victims of sexual offences who don't report what has happened to them and may not seek support.

"We have sexual health services across the region all of which offer free, confidential advice and support. There is no judgement and your health and safety is our priority.

"Regardless of where you live, you can access any public sexual health service in any area. If you read about this case and want to seek advice, then we are here for you."

Judge Edward Bindloss adjourned sentencing until Thursday, April 23. Hall will also be sentenced for drug dealing offences.

Detective Chief Inspector Emma Smith said: "Our priority remains helping ensure anyone impacted by Hall's actions receives the support they need. Through our extensive investigations we believe that he has had sexual contact with men who have not yet been identified.

"There is also evidence he has travelled to different parts of the country, 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.

"There are safe places where you can access a broad range of services. We want people to know this is available confidentially and independently of the police. Anyone who believes they may be a victim of a criminal offence is also encouraged to come forward to ourselves.

"We have set-up a dedicated webpage for people to contact us, which can be accessed by visiting our website. We want our message to be a clear one - we are here for you, we will listen and we will help ensure you receive the support you need."