LONDON – Veteran BBC broadcaster Stuart Hall was sentenced Monday to 15 months in prison after admitting to 14 historic sex offenses against young girls.
The BBC said it was “appalled” that some of the crimes took place in connection with his work at the public broadcaster.
The 83-year-old presenter confessed to the crimes at the beginning of May this year.
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According to the BBC news website, Hall’s barrister Crispin Aylett, in mitigation, told the court the former broadcaster had “all of 13” victims compared to Jimmy Savile‘s alleged 1,300.
The judge noted Hall’s crimes were a part of a “darker side to you, one hidden from public view until now, and a side which you were able to conceal taking advantage of your status as a well-liked celebrity.”
It was only three months earlier in 2013 that Hall was dismissing the allegations as “pernicious, callous, cruel and, above all, spurious.”
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The BBC appointed retired High Court Judge Linda Dobbs to lead an investigation into Hall’s conduct at the public broadcaster.
Dobbs took up the review duties after Janet Smith confirmed that she would not be able to oversee this aspect of her review due to a potential conflict of interest.
Dobbs’ investigation will feed into Smith’s ongoing review into the BBC’s culture and practices during the years that Jimmy Savile, the BBC stalwart presenter who became the focus of the worst sexual abuse scandal to hit the BBC, worked at the broadcaster.
The BBC said Monday Dobbs’ conclusions about Hall “will be published as part of the Dame Janet Smith Review later this year.”
