Stuart Hall: Judges Retire To Consider Appeal

Judges at an appeal hearing to determine whether broadcaster Stuart Hall's sentence for sexual assault was "unduly lenient" have retired to consider their verdict.

The broadcaster, who appeared in court via video link, will find out if he has to spend more time in prison for assaulting several girls the youngest of whom was nine.

At the hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Attorney General Dominic Grieve told the packed courtroom: "The total sentence of 15 months' imprisonment for 14 incidents of indecent assault committed against 13 female victims aged between the ages of nine and 17 ... failed adequately to reflect the gravity of the totality of the offences, and the public concern about offences of this nature.

Attorney General Dominic Grieve said Hall's sentence was 'unduly lenient'

"Some of the sentences should have been made to run consecutively, so that the total sentence passed reflected the culpability of the offender, the harm caused and to deter others."

Hall's QC Crispin Aylett argued there was "nothing wrong" with the sentence imposed. He told the court: "If the object was to see this man punished, disgraced and financially ruined then all of that has been more than achieved."

Hall, 83, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, admitted 14 counts of indecent assault between 1967 and 1987.

The former It's A Knockout presenter was sentenced in June at Preston Crown Court by the Recorder of Preston, Judge Anthony Russell QC.

Hall directly exploited his role as a popular BBC presenter to target four of his victims, while he assaulted another four on the pretence of giving elocution lessons to them at his home.

Before entering his guilty plea in April, he had made a public pronouncement on the steps of a court, describing all the claims against him as "cruel, pernicious and spurious".

Hall was arrested and subsequently charged on December 5 last year with indecently assaulting three young girls.

More women came forward as a result of publicity and he was rearrested before he later admitted sexual offences relating to 13 victims.

Judge Russell told Hall: "Several of these cases reveal an abuse of the trust placed in you by the parents of these children but all of them reveal an abuse of power by you because your status gave you an influence and standing which you abused."

The judge said Hall would have received 20 months after a trial but he reduced the sentence to reflect his guilty pleas.

At Hall's original sentencing, Mr Aylett said that 27 years had passed since the last offence and the presenter had led an "unblemished" life over those years.

The length of the jail term was immediately criticised as "unduly lenient" by shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry.

Harriet Harman, deputy leader of the Labour party, also added to calls for the sentence to be referred.

The judges verdict is expected some time after 11.30am

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