JASON HALL OF LIVERPOOL SENTENCED OVER CHILD SEXUAL OFFENSES IN CHESTER
A Liverpool University archaeologist, Jason Hall, attempted to arrange a sexual encounter with a girl he believed to be 13 years old, while her mother watched.Hall discussed his desire to molest the girl and traveled from Liverpool to Chester with the intention of carrying out the act.
However, neither the woman nor the girl were real; instead, they were part of a police sting, and officers were waiting for him at Chester station.
Officers searched Hall's rucksack and found a pack of condoms and an Easter egg he had purchased for his intended victim.
Further searches at his home revealed over 2,000 indecent images of children.
Hall, who resided on Greenbank Road in Mossley Hill, was employed as a senior archaeology technician at the University of Liverpool’s School of Histories, Languages and Cultures for more than ten years.
Liverpool Crown Court was told that undercover officers created a fake profile named Poppy on an adult website.
Neil Bisarya, prosecuting, explained that Hall contacted Poppy on March 26, 2018, stating he noticed she was based in Chester and mentioning his location in Liverpool, where he worked at the university.
Poppy claimed to be a mother of two with an eight-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter, and soon indicated interest in young teenagers.
Hall asked if her daughter’s age was appropriate, and she confirmed her daughter was called Natalie.
Hall expressed his wish to have sex with her, and Poppy responded that she would like to be present during the act.
Their conversations continued via Skype and the encrypted chat service qTox, with discussions about Hall visiting Chester.
Poppy sent Hall two photos, allegedly of herself and her daughter, Natalie; Hall responded with a photo of himself.
By April 26, they arranged for Hall to come to Chester.
On May 1, they started chatting on Skype, with Hall calling Natalie a "cutie,” and on May 8, they discussed the possibility of him having sex with her.
Hall also sent a photo of his erect penis while in the bath and expressed his desire to have sex with her while her mother watched.
On May 10, he requested a photo of her bottom.
After confirming the plan with both mother and daughter, and promising to bring chocolates, Hall set out for Chester on the morning of May 11 but was arrested at 11:48 am.
Police seized his mobile phone and found his rucksack containing a receipt for a recent purchase of condoms and a Twirl Easter egg.
His home was searched, leading to the seizure of 17 devices, including laptops, computers, hard drives, and mobile phones.
Authorities also found a transcript describing sex with a 12-year-old child next to his bed.
Hall, who had no previous convictions, did not comment during the police interview but later admitted to the charges after his devices were examined.
The forensic analysis revealed 102 Category A images (depicting child rape), 271 Category B, and 1,796 Category C images, totaling 2,169 child abuse images downloaded between September 2005 and May 2018.
Additionally, 13 animal porn files were found.
He pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including arranging or facilitating a child sex offence, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to cause a child to view sexual images, downloading indecent images of children, and possessing extreme pornographic content.
Rebecca Smith, defending, acknowledged that Hall understood he faced a "lengthy" prison sentence and had cooperated with police.
She emphasized that the victim, Natalie, was a "fictional character" and no sexual activity was ever intended to occur.
Ms.
Smith highlighted Hall's cooperation, noting his participation in courses and therapy provided by The Lucy Faithfull Foundation and other organizations to address his behavior.
She also mentioned references from his family describing him as introverted and isolated but now receiving support and being honest about his actions.
The defense stated that Hall was well-regarded at the university, having received awards, and that the institution was proud of his accomplishments.
Judge Anil Murray noted the significant age disparity and grooming behavior involved in the case, stating, "The absence of a real victim does not reduce culpability." However, he acknowledged the lack of actual harm, given the victim was fictional.
The judge reviewed the pre-sentence report, which described Hall’s sexual interests in children as entrenched and classified him as a high risk for reoffending and causing serious harm.
He expressed full agreement with these assessments.
Although Hall's mother described him as a caring son and his sister noted he had expressed remorse, the judge sentenced him to two years and eight months in prison, with half to be served behind bars.
Hall was also ordered to register as a sex offender and comply with a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
