An insult to all his victims: Sex predator Stuart Hall will serve just TWO WEEKS in jail for every one of the 13 girls he attacked

Hall jailed for 15 months after admitting 14 counts of indecent assault

But court heard he first told police allegations were part of a 'vendetta'



Former It's A Knockout presenter, 83, was at Preston Crown Court

Attorney General's office has received complaints about sentence length



Mugshot: A police photo of Stuart Hall, the former BBC presenter, who has been jailed after admitting assaulting young girls

Stuart Hall will serve barely two weeks in prison for each of the young girls he sexually abused.

The sentence prompted a wave of outrage and fury last night, with victims saying it made a mockery of their horrific ordeal and politicians and campaigners condemning it as 'incredibly lenient'.

The disgraced It's A Knockout presenter, 83, was jailed for 15 months yesterday after admitting that he indecently assaulted 13 girls between 1967 and 1986. His youngest victim was nine.

Under sentencing rules Hall will be released automatically after serving just half the term.

The Attorney General has already been forced to agree to review the sentence after being inundated with complaints.

He was last night examining whether it was 'unduly lenient' and should be referred back to the Court of Appeal.

Politicians and child protection charities were among those who condemned the former BBC presenter's sentence, saying it sent the wrong message to victims of historic sex abuse following the Jimmy Savile scandal.

When Hall was first arrested last December, he told police his victims were all lying as part of a 'vendetta going on against people in the public eye'.

But the publicity led to more women coming forward, and in April the married father of two finally admitted 14 counts of indecent assault. The pleas could only be revealed last month, after reporting restrictions were lifted.

Last night two of the women who helped bring the predator to justice led the condemnation of his sentence. The pair waived their legal right to anonymity in the Daily Mail last month.

Susan Harrison was 16 when Hall lured her to BBC premises on the false pretext of helping her record a song, before attacking her in his car.

Mrs Harrison, now 61, said: 'His victims deserved more. I hope that he has an uncomfortable time in prison and reflects on the gravity of what he did.

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Jailed: A court sketch showing Hall in the dock as he was sentenced to 15 months in prison

Sentencing: Stuart Hall arriving at Preston Crown Court after admitting indecent assault charges

'DARKER SIDE': THE JUDGE'S VIEW

On Stuart Hall's career:

Recorder of Preston, Judge Anthony Russell QC, told Hall: 'In the course of your long career you have given pleasure to millions of people as a local television presenter in the North West, nationally in the It's a Knockout series, and as a highly regarded sports commentator. 'You were known for the genial personality, charm, bonhomie and wit which you displayed in these various roles. 'However those who have admired you for these qualities and the general public now know that there is a darker side to you, one hidden from public view until now. 'A side which you were able to conceal taking advantage of your status as a well-liked celebrity. 'Several of these cases reveal an abuse of power by you because your status gave you an influence and standing which you abused.' On Hall's personality: 'I have read all those (character) references with care and it is very sad to see someone who is so well-regarded in the dock of this courtroom.' On his initial denial and victim impact:

'Instead of maintaining a dignified silence or stating that you would make no comment, you chose to make a public statement to the effect that the allegations were false, describing them as 'spurious and pernicious' as was widely reported.

'Although your guilty pleas have meant that your victims have not had to give evidence and relive their experiences in a court hearing, and they now know this, your earlier observations about their complaints, which you now accept were neither spurious nor pernicious, will have distressed them all, and it is clear from the victim statements that I have seen that your brazen attitude when first charged and the public protests of your innocence have added to the distress of some if not all of your victims.'

'As is clear from the victim personal statements, which I have read with care, many of your victims have lived with the shame and embarrassment resulting from your assaults, not sure how to cope with the effect of what were for these girls extremely unpleasant and distressing events - suffering what amounts in some cases to significant psychological trauma.

'I pay tribute to the victims who have come forward - it is by no means an easy thing to do.'

'I feel that the sentence should have been higher especially taking into account the age of some of his victims.'

The mother of one added: 'His lenient sentence will not act as deterrent to others who go on to sexually abuse youngsters. I am pretty shocked by it and feel that he has almost walked free and it has made a mockery of what the victims have been through.

'This is after all his denials and calling us all liars and the claims spurious, callous and cruel – he has never personally apologised for what he has done and he is not remorseful.'

Kim Wright was 17 when Hall fondled her breasts at a show in Blackpool.

Now 55, she told the Mail: 'When he made those comments outside court about our allegations being false I felt like I had been abused all over again. He does not appear to be remorseful at all.'

Another of Hall's victims, who was also 17 when he molested her, told ITV News that 'justice has not been done'.

The woman, identified only as Amy, added: 'It's a mockery. It's not helping any future cases at all. It's not helping the victims. It's just giving people like Stuart Hall a slap on the wrist.'

Labour's shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry condemned the sentence as 'unduly lenient', and urged Attorney General Dominic Grieve to investigate.

Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman tweeted: '18 yrs offending & Stuart hall gets less than 18 months. Unduly Lenient Sentence. Attorney General must refer sentence to Court of Appeal.'

Peter Saunders, of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, echoed their comments, adding: 'I feel for the victims.

'They would have expected more given the severity of the cases and the number of cases.'

Last night a lawyer representing some of Hall's victims told the Mail he believes six were abused as a consequence of his connections with the BBC.

Hall and the corporation are facing large compensation claims from the women.

The Recorder of Preston, Judge Anthony Russell QC, said he had to sentence Hall, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, according to the guidelines in place at the time of the offences.

This meant the maximum sentence for the most serious offences he committed was five years. Today it would be ten years.

He said Hall was known to the public for his 'genial personality'.

But he said they 'now know that there is a darker side to you, one hidden from the public view until now – and a side which you were able to conceal taking advantage of your status as a well-liked celebrity.'

Hall showed no emotion as he was led from the dock. He is expected to begin his sentence in the hospital wing of a prison.

The BBC said it was 'appalled that some of Stuart Hall's crimes took place in connection with his work at the BBC and offers an unreserved apology to the people he abused'.

Champagne, Rolls Royce trips and offers of a 'relaxing' bath... the ploys of predator Hall

Stuart Hall's victims suffered decades of mental torment that left many of them repulsed by the mere sound of his voice, a court heard yesterday.



The broadcaster used champagne, a Rolls-Royce and his celebrity status to prey on 13 victims, the youngest of whom was just nine.



His crimes spanned nearly 20 years, with assaults taking place on BBC premises and at his home.

Vile: TV Presenter Stuart Hall at home with wife Hazel Victim Susan Harrison from Hyde, Cheshire, (right) and (left) wearing the pale blue suit she was wearing on the day that Stuart Hall indecently assaulted her



Kim Pat Parker aged 15 or 16 (left) when she was a pupil at Hodgson Secondary Modern School in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, and (right) following Hall's guilty plea



Last month two of the women who helped bring him to justice bravely waived their right to anonymity to tell the Daily Mail of his abuse.



Susan Harrison said she was 16 when the It's A Knockout presenter lured her to BBC premises on the false pretext of helping her record a song in 1967.

He attacked her in his car while driving her home.



Another victim, Kim Wright, was 17 when Hall fondled her breasts at a show in Blackpool.



Yesterday Preston Crown Court heard details of how Hall attacked his other young victims.

Sisters and friend lured by promise of elocution lessons



Hall abused the three girls – two sisters aged 11 and 14, and their friend, who was 13 or 14 – when he invited them to his house for the lessons.

He had met them at the opening of a new restaurant in Macclesfield in 1981.



Prosecutor Peter Wright QC said that after Hall picked up the sisters in his Rolls-Royce convertible, he instructed all three girls to have a relaxing bath before they began the lesson.

Guilty: The former It's A Knockout presenter initially denied the charges and told police his victims were lying before pleading guilty

'Vendetta': Mr Hall told police the allegations were false and his victims were after 'notoriety'



'The girls entered the bath and shower whereupon the defendant walked into the bathroom unannounced, causing the girls to squeal and cover themselves with their hands,' he said.



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Hall gave the girls three men's shirts to wear, and told them not to wear any underwear – but they refused.



They then went into Hall's lounge, where he stood in only a pair of small white underpants. He asked them to pronounce the vowels of the alphabet and read passages from a book, before fondling all three of them.



Dancer, 15, attacked after joining BBC slim campaign



An aspiring dancer was abused at 15 after joining a weight-loss campaign run by the BBC.



Hall, then presenter of BBC North West Tonight, visited the youngster's home in 1976 with the TV crew behind the Slim and Trim Campaign. He waited for his colleagues to leave before forcibly kissing the teenager.



She was left 'shocked' and 'bewildered', but did not tell anyone because of her 'confused' state.



Disgraced: The broadcaster has admitted assaulting 13 girls, the youngest aged just nine, between 1967 and 1987

Hall then lured her to the BBC studios on a number of occasions as part of the slimming campaign, and went on to assault her in his dressing room.



Mr Wright told the court that when she stripped to her underwear while changing clothes, Hall put his arm around her and asked if he could use a 'battery-powered massager on her private parts'.



The youngster declined the offer from the 'partially dressed' Hall and cut ties with him.



Girl, 10, he told: 'Cuddle me like your teddy'



A ten-year-old was assaulted after she met Hall on a family holiday in Madeira in 1982.



The broadcaster, who was filming It's A Knockout, gave the child and her relatives tickets to the show. When they returned home, the girl was invited to Hall's house in Wilmslow, Cheshire, to swim in his outdoor pool – where he went on to attack her.



After collecting his victim, Hall stopped off at a supermarket, picking up steak and champagne. The pair ate together and Hall plied the youngster with alcohol.

BBC star: Hall, a presenter on It's A Knockout, is pictured on the show with score girls Glynne Geldart and Linda Ann Thomas, who are unrelated to the case

'She does not recall how much she drank but she recalls feeling the effects of it,' Mr Wright said.

Hall took a swim with his victim and gave her an It's A Knockout T-shirt to wear, before fondling her on a bed.



'She recalls being on the bed with the defendant who then told her to cuddle him like she would one of her teddies,' Mr Wright added.



In an impact statement, the victim said: 'I lived with what Hall has done to me, and it made me feel uncomfortable around men in general until I was an adult woman.'



Teenager fondled by 'octopus' Hall in bath



A 13-year-old was attacked in 1976 when she attended a party at the home of one of Hall's friends.



She and several other children sneaked a bottle of Martini upstairs before getting drunk. Hall then placed her in the bath and indecently assaulted her, before telling her she was 'beautiful and gorgeous'.



She said: 'We pinched a bottle of Martini and we were drinking it in the bedroom. We had obviously drunk too much, and I was sick.

Broadcaster: As well as his television presenting work, Hall was a well-regarded sports commentator

Driven away: Stuart Hall hid his face as he was taken from Preston Crown Court in a prison van after sentencing

'My friend's mother came up and took me to the bathroom, undressed me. Then Stuart Hall came in. She left me and told him to bathe me ... I'd never been naked even in front of my own parents, never mind a stranger. He put me in the bath and he was fondling me and he obviously didn't have very long; it felt like it was a panicking, frenzied fondle, as much as he could do with the time he had me.



'My friend's mother came back and it was over, she dressed me.'



Describing the effect the attack had on her, she said: 'I just remember the feeling of absolute embarrassment of having nothing on, and then when I was left with Stuart Hall – he was all over me like an octopus.'



HOW STUART HALL BLAMED POST-SAVILE WITCH HUNT Hall told police he was the victim of a post-Jimmy Savile witch hunt. The sex offender claimed that the women he abused were lying as part of a 'vendetta going on against people in the public eye', a court heard yesterday. When arrested last December, he said the claims of indecent assault were 'nonsense' and 'completely untrue.'

He went on to present his 'truthful considered view of everything' that 'there is a vendetta going on against people in the public eye, and people can come out of the woodwork and say what they want'. He added: 'I think a lot of people have just made things up just to make sensationalism. I think it's completely misinterpreted. They are all telling untruths. It's just impugning me for the sake of putting me in the stocks, really.'

The 83-year-old had initially issued an impassioned public denial of any wrongdoing, but admitted his guilt at Preston Crown Court in April. He was arrested and charged in December last year with indecently assaulting three of his victims. The publicity surrounding the case prompted more to come forward, including a woman who said she was raped by Hall in the Seventies aged 22.

Following his guilty pleas on 14 counts of indecent assault against 13 victims, the rape charge, which Hall denied, was left on file after it was given consideration by the CPS. Crispin Aylett, Hall's solicitor, said his client had been arrested 'as a consequence' of the investigations into Jimmy Savile. He referred to the hundreds of people feared to have been abused by Savile, claiming that Hall's offences were not as serious or widespread. 'In the dock today is a frightened and bewildered 83-year-old man answering for the touching – no more, no less – of all of 13, not 1,300, victims over a quarter of a century ago,' he said. He added there was 'very little evidence' of sexual arousal on the part of the defendant.

Girl, 9, he fondled as he read a bedtime story



Hall's youngest victim was indecently assaulted at her parents' home as she lay half-asleep in bed. Hall fondled her under the covers as he read her a bedtime story.



The BBC presenter was a frequent guest at her home, and her parents 'trusted' him. She said: 'I didn't really know at the time what he was trying to do, but I knew that it felt wrong and it wasn't right.'



She did not disclose the incident to her parents for fear of causing 'friction', but following the attack she avoided his company.



The It's A Knockout cheerleader he kissed



Hall targeted a 17-year-old who dressed in a medieval costume for an episode of It's A Knockout in the early Seventies.



After the programme she was approached by the presenter in a hotel, where he grabbed her forcefully with both hands and pushed her against a door. Hall kissed her on the mouth and fumbled with her dress before she fought him off.



His last known attack was in 1986, when Hall pounced on a ten-year-old girl he had once again lured to his home with the promise of elocution lessons. Other victims included a friend's 17-year-old nanny.



Women molested by Hall said they 'could not bear to see him on TV or hear him on the radio'.



Although he has now been sentenced to prison after being convicted of 14 charges, Hall had repeatedly called his victims liars, and even accused them of collusion.



He finally admitted his guilt almost three decades after his final attack, with a judge jailing him for 15 months yesterday.



■ An NSPCC branch leader who praised Hall's charity work in a written reference resigned last night.



East Cheshire chairman Patricia McMillan gave the character reference after he pleaded guilty to attacking 13 girls.



A spokesman for the children's charity said: 'The volunteer concerned has now stood down from her role with the NSPCC.



'Our priority is, and always will be, to the victims of child abuse and we will not allow anything to get in the way of this.'

HALL'S VICTIMS TARGETED THROUGH BBC CONNECTIONS AND THE GIRL, 13, HE 'MAULED' IN BATHROOM AFTER PLYING HER WITH CHAMPAGNE

Convicted: Stuart Hall attends Preston Crown Court for a hearing earlier this year Stuart Hall 'mauled' a schoolgirl after plying her with champagne at a steak dinner on her 13th birthday, the court heard. He had attacked the teenager after carrying her to the bathroom as she was sick with alcohol at the party. Peter Wright QC, prosecuting, said he had touched her breasts and indecently assaulted her, while calling her 'beautiful and gorgeous'. Hall had asked her to 'cuddle him like one of her teddies', Mr Wright said. He added: 'She felt shocked, stunned and paralysed by the events, incapable by reason of her condition and her stressed state to do anything.' The court also heard how Hall had used his BBC connections to take advantage of young girls. Hall exploited his BBC connections to abuse several of his victims, the court heard.

He met one 16-year-old girl after she sang at a school awards evening where he had been invited to hand out prizes.

He asked her to write to him at the BBC and mentioned trying to get her a recording session, said Mr Wright.

It led to her attending the corporation's studios in Piccadilly, Manchester. Afterwards he took her to a pub where he bought her a vodka and lime and then drove her home where he put his hand up her skirt.

A 17-year-old girl was targeted when she took part in an edition of It's A Knockout and dressed in medieval costume.

After the programme she was approached by Hall in a hotel and was grabbed forcefully with both hands and pushed against a door.

Hall kissed her on the mouth and fumbled with her dress before she fought him off.

Mr Wright said a 15-year-old girl came into contact with the defendant in his role as presenter of BBC North West Tonight.

She responded to a campaign the station was running and was visited by the programme makers at her home. When the TV crew left, Hall was alone with his victim and began to kiss her and put his tongue in her mouth.

Taken aback by his actions and confused, she did go on to attend the BBC studios on a number of occasions as part of the show's campaign.

She was indecently assaulted again when she used Hall's dressing room to change clothes.

She was in her underwear when Hall sat down on a settee with his arm around her and asked if he could use a battery-powered massager on her private parts.

A 10-year-old girl was assaulted after she met Hall with her family while he was filming an edition of It's A Knockout. Hall had given them tickets, which led to her being invited to his home to swim in his outdoor pool.

Hall gave her an It's A Knockout t-shirt to wear once she had got out of her wet swimsuit before he went on to fondle her, said Mr Wright.



Hall victim: Others were abused including girl who was just eight



One of Stuart Hall's victims, known only as Tracy, was just 13 when Hall sexually assaulted her.

In an exclusive interview with ITV News she said the BBC star was 'all over her like an octopus' and that there are more victims who have not spoken out about Hall’s abuse, including a friend who was aged just eight years old when Hall sexually assaulted her.

She also said that police naming suspects was 'very important' because she was watching the news and 'listening out' for his name.

Tracy told ITV News she met Hall through a friend's father and that the abuse took place at the friend's house. Her friend was also 13 at the time and had a younger sister who was eight.

She said she and her friends had stolen some Martini from the adults downstairs and she had been sick and was taken to get cleaned up in the bathroom by her friend's mother.

'It was a panicking frenzied fondle as much as he could do it with the time he had me.' - Tracy, victim of Stuart Hall

Once she was undressed, Stuart Hall appeared and the woman asked him to bathe her, she said.



'I remember all this even though I was drunk; I was absolutely shocked into rude awakening, because I'd never been naked even in front of my own parents, never mind a stranger,' Tracy added.



'He put me in the bath and he was fondling me and he obviously didn't have very long, it felt like it was a panicking frenzied fondle as much as he could do it with the time he had me.



'And he laid me on the floor and was trying to kiss me and just hands everywhere basically. Then my friend’s mother came back and it was over, she then dressed me.



'He then went, what I found out the next day, he went into my friend’s bedroom and did the same to her and we spoke about it the next day.



'Then the eight-year-old daughter said she had a secret with Stuart Hall and she told us that he had gone into her room the night before when she was in bed and he made her put her elastic bracelet on him and he made her lick him because he had put some drink on. And she told us it was a secret.'

Tracy said neither her friend or her sister had wanted to come forward about what happened to them.

She said she was shocked by the way he had touched all three girls within minutes of each other.

'My friend told me that he had gone in whilst I was being dressed in the bathroom and fondled her under her covers whilst she was in bed, so within that short period of time he made the most of that night with three vulnerable girls and that's what made me very angry,' she said.



'The fact that he took advantage of every second he could, just to molest girls in an evening out with friends. That's what he chose to do and that is quite frightening to think a man would behave that way.'

She was also horrified when Hall insisted he was innocent, adding she thought he had eventually pleaded guilty in the face of 'overwhelming evidence against him'.

' He took advantage of every second he could, just to molest girls in an evening out with friends' - Tracy, victim of Stuart Hall

She said: ' I was just quite sickened really that he was saying that the girls who said this were lying, and I found that really awful, as it was something that I'd held as a dark secret for so many years, that I didn't like to be thought of a liar and I had told the truth.'

Tracy was encouraged to speak to police after seeing Hall's name in the news, highlighting the importance of police naming suspects.

She said: ' When I heard about Savile, I thought I wonder if Stuart Hall is going to have any secrets in his closet, like mine. And I didn't feel confident to say anything but then as people had, it gave me confidence to think right I've got to come forward as well, so I did.

'I came forward because I was looking on the news, listening out whether his name would come up and it was my sister that rang up and then my mother and then my father said “Stuart Hall is on the news. And then you've got to do it now”. That's how it happened for me, so if his name hadn't come up I probably wouldn't have then actually come forward.'

But she said the shame of the truth coming out while Hall was still alive was punishment enough for him and that she actually felt sorry for her attacker now as he is 'so old and probably no harm to anybody now'.

' I feel sorry for his wife and his family, they have been very proud to have this celebrity man as their husband and father and now he’s shamed,' she added.