Stuart hall was originally sentenced to 15 months in jail (Reuters)
Stuart hall was originally sentenced to 15 months in jail (Reuters)

The sentence handed down to Stuart Hall has been doubled after the Court of Appeal ruled his previous sentence for child abuse was inadequate.

The veteran BBC broadcaster was originally sentenced to 15 months in jail after admitting to indecently assaulting 13 girls as young as nine between 1967 and 1986.

More than 150 people complained about the sentence handed to the former It's A Knock-out presenter to the Attorney General's Office (AGO).

The Court of Appeal ruled that the sentence handed down to Hall was "unduly lenient" and extended his sentence a further 15 months following an appeal by attorney general Dominic Grieve.

Grieve told the court the sentence "failed adequately" to reflect public concern and gravity of such crimes.

He added: "Even if the individual sentences for each count are appropriate given the statutory maximum available, some should have been made to run consecutively so that the total sentence passed reflected the culpability of the offender, the harm caused and [would] deter others.

"It appears to me that the sentence was unduly lenient".

Crispin Aylett, Hall's QC, argued that the sentence was "entirely appropriate" due to Hall's age. He said that some of victim's did not want a tougher sentence as they believed his public humiliation was sufficient enough punishment.

He added: "If the object was to see this man punished, disgraced and financially ruined then all of that has been more than achieved."

Hall, who appeared at the hearing via videolink from HMP Preston, showed no reaction as he heard the verdict read out.

After the announcement, Grieve said: "I am pleased that the court found that 15 months was unduly lenient and have today increased that sentence to 30 months and I hope that this case has highlighted the fact that historical sexual offences are always taken very seriously and show that the law still applies, whoever the offender may be."

During the original trial, the judge said he took into account the time when the offences occurred, the age and ill health of the 83-year-old and the fact he admitted the offences when handing down the 15-month sentence.

Children's charities condemned the sentence. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood said that it proved Hall's crimes were not taken seriously enough.

Shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry said the sentence was unduly lenient.

Hall, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court to 14 offences relating to 13 girls aged between nine and 17 after months of denials.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) described the former football commentator as an "opportunistic predator".