Stuart Hall
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James Stuart Hall Jr. is a former BBC presenter and sports commentator who became known nationally for presenting It's a Knockout and Jeux Sans Frontières. He was fired by the BBC in 2012 and charged with multiple sex offences against children aged 9 the 17 that took place between 1967 and 1986. He was convicted in 2014 and served three years in prison before being released.
Biography edit
Hall joined the BBC in 1959 as a general reporter on Radio Newsreel and a sports journalisrt on Sports Report. Between 1965 and 1990, he presented the BBC's regional news programmes for the North West produced in Manchester, originally called Look North, then Look North West and finally North West Tonight, alongside John Mundy. During the run of Nationwide (1969–83), he became known nationally through live link-ups. He later moved into the entertainment business, presenting the game shows It's a Knockout and Jeux Sans Frontières.
As a sports commentator, Hall apparently coined the phrase "the Beautiful Game" to describe football. During the early 1970s, he presented a football quiz called Quiz Ball He also commentated multiple football matches during his tenure.
In 2012, Hall was awarded an OBE. Shortly after, newspaper columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown received a letter from a reader accusing Hall of sexually abusing the writer in the 1970s. She forwarded the letter to the police, and a seven-month long investigation resulted that eventually led to Hall being arrested and charged with three historic counts of sexually assaulting children, with each charge detailing a different victim's experience. He was released on bail.
During the media circus that followed the arrest, more women came forward and accused Hall of attacking them. Hall was further charged with sexually abusing 10 more children and with raping a woman. Despite initially denying the charges, at a pre-trial hearing at Preston Crown Court he pleaded guilty to fourteen sex crimes and was released pending sentencing. On 17 June 2013, Judge Anthony Russell QC sentenced Hall to 15 months in prison and his OBE was formally revoked. Later the same day, the attorney general's office announced that it had received complaints that the sentence was "unduly lenient." On 26 July 2013, Hall's sentence was increased to 30 months.
After the conviction of Max Clifford for similar offences, discussion began about whether Hall's sentence was too lenient or not. Five new sexual assault allegations also surfaced against Hall, including the rape of a twelve-year-old girl. Eventually, Hall appeared in court again to face over 20 further charges. He was acquitted of 19 of them, but the one charge of indecent assault he was convicted of was enough to increase his sentence to two years and six months to be served consecutively with his 30 months he was already serving.
Hall was released from HM Prison Wymott near Preston, Lancashire, on 16 December 2015, having served half his sentence.