This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-35111521
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Stuart Hall released from prison halfway through sentence | Stuart Hall released from prison halfway through sentence |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The former broadcaster Stuart Hall has been released from jail after serving half of his sentence for sexual abuse. | The former broadcaster Stuart Hall has been released from jail after serving half of his sentence for sexual abuse. |
| The It's a Knockout presenter was imprisoned in 2013 after admitting indecently assaulting 13 girls - one as young as nine - between 1967 and 1985. | The It's a Knockout presenter was imprisoned in 2013 after admitting indecently assaulting 13 girls - one as young as nine - between 1967 and 1985. |
| His sentence was extended in 2014 when he pleaded guilty to two counts of indecently assaulting a teenage girl. | His sentence was extended in 2014 when he pleaded guilty to two counts of indecently assaulting a teenage girl. |
| Hall, 85, previously worked for BBC Radio 5 live and presented the regional news programme North West Tonight. | |
| His original 15-month sentence in 2013 was doubled by the Court of Appeal after the judge said it had been "unduly lenient" given the impact on his victims. | |
| Hall, who lived in Wilmslow, Cheshire, received an additional two years and six months over the later charges. | |
| The Ministry of Justice said: "Offenders automatically released on licence at the halfway point of their sentence are subject to strict controls. | The Ministry of Justice said: "Offenders automatically released on licence at the halfway point of their sentence are subject to strict controls. |
| "If they fail to comply with these conditions, or their behaviour indicates it is no longer safe for them to remain in the community, they can be immediately returned to prison." | |
| 'Dark side' | |
| The broadcaster was initially arrested in December 2012, when he made a statement labelling the claims against him as "pernicious, callous, cruel and above all spurious". | |
| But Preston Crown Court heard the former It's a Knockout host was an "opportunistic predator" who used his fame to befriend girls. | |
| Judge Anthony Russell QC said Hall had a "darker side" and took advantage of his "status as a well-liked celebrity". | |
| Among Hall's victims was a 16-year-old girl who he had presented with an award at a school prize-giving. | |
| He later bought her a drink in a pub before sexually assaulting her in his car, the court heard. | |
| In the 1980s Hall molested a nine-year-old girl by putting his hand up her clothing. | |
| He also kissed a 13-year-old girl on the lips after saying to her: "People need to show thanks in other ways." | |
| Hall was stripped of his OBE by the Queen after he was imprisoned. |