His tormentors made it clear the permanent mutilation was "justice" for his documentary- and if he made further transgressions against their "righteous" crusade he would be killed.

In the war between the animal rights and the countryside lobbies, the latest action has brought increasingly bitter and dirty struggle to an horrific new loe.

As Hall says "Even I underestimated them They are highly organised and totally obsessed - they'll stop at nothing. That conflict is now out of hand and ready to explode."

Such a statement does not easily [ass from the lips of someone like Hall, an old hand who has braved death threats from gangs of drug smugglers, illegal cartels, dog-fighting rings and other criminals.

His talent for infiltrating their operations using his own scruffy appearance and unassuming demeanor has led to more than 70 convictions (click on the coloured writing to see how!!!!). And has produced some of TVs most watchable and dramatic documentaries.

Hall a life supporter of animal rights himself, became involved with the A:LF at the end of 1997 when he was approached by Gaynor Ford.

"I was in Portsmouth distributing leaflets for my Uk Animal Watch campaign, which fights badger diggers, when this woman came up and started chatting" he said.

"Soon she was telling me of all sorts of things she had done, from blowing up boats to setting cars on fire, all in the name of animal rights. They would target fox-hunting people, animal experimenters, laboratories - that sort of thing. I believe there's never an excuse for breaking the law (yeah, yeah click on the coloured writing to see his yardstick!) But I wanted to talk to her further with a secret camera on me."

Through Ford, he also came into contact with two other influential ALF members, former soldier David Hammond and the organisation's spokesman Robin Webb "I made sure none of them knew I was in contact with the others" he said"because they would tell me what they thougth of each other."

During filming, Hall liaised closely with Hampshire detectives in case his evidence would be useful. The result was that whenWebb who has always tried to distance himself from acts of violence - was caught on tape giving instructions on how to make the best bombs, police considered its value second only to a written confession.

Ford and Hammond - who has ALF tattooed pn both temples - were similarly allowed ample rope with which to hang themselves on film.

Ford insisted on taking hall on a guyided tour of the places she had targeted with her terrorism. At Wickham Research Laboratories, where animals are subjected to tests, she crowed "Seven cars we done. Yeah, paint-stripped,. Really brilliant."

Not surprisingly, Hall furious at the police decision not to prosecute the three...but what happened next put any pain he felt into sharp context.

"I had been contacted by a guy called "Mark" whom I'd met while giving out leaflets" said Hall "He said his brother was involved in dog-fighting and he would like to see him punished for it. I spoke to him three or four times on the phone over five weeks  and we eventually agreed to meet in a pub in Herefordshire where he would point out his brother.

The plan was I would start frequenting the pub wearing a British Field Sports badge and wait for him to start talking to me"said hall "The meeting was arranged for 8pm on october 26. We were to meet on a road with woodland on one side and open ground on the other. Then we'd go to the pub. I got there first and sat on my van bonnet. I could hear little rustlings in the undergrowth and ironically I thought they were badgers. Usually I go everywhere with my dog dennis. who would be capable of putting four or five men in hospital if I was threatened. But that night I didn't have him with me - he was in kennels. At other times I go to meetings with someone accompanying me. This time I was alone but had no reason to suspect I was being set up.

"Mark pulled up in front of me in an Escort van and I went over to say "hello" The next thing I knew he had kicked me i the groin and I was doubled up in agony. At the same time I was aware of a number of men, at least four, jumping out of the trees and grabbing my arms. They told me "If you struggle, you're dead you bastard" Something which felt like a gun barrel was put against my temple and I thought I was a dead man. Then they forced a hood over my head knocking off my glasses. Before I lost my vision I caught a glimpse of the registration number of the van they were in - the first three digits were E77. They bundles me in the back and sat on my legs. I felt pure fright. I couldn't breathe properly in the hood and my arms felt as if they had been pulled out.

The van started driving and I tried to keep track of the turns it was making, but it was hopeless. The journey lasted about an hour and a quarter but we could have been going round in circles. I thought I was being taken to my execution and I am not ashamed to admit I was so frightened that I wet myself. Eventually, the van stopped and i was frog marched to a house where they put me in a chair with my hands and feet tied up. I could hear them muttering things to me like "scum" and "bastard" but thet were making efforts to stay quiet. However I recognised one voice. The last time I heard it was in the milling crowd of animal rights protesters outside bristol Crown Court when Barry Horne was sentenced last year. I had gone there to meet Robin Webb for the first time. I don't know his name but his voice had stuck with me. They left me for a few hours like that. I could hear shufflings outside the room, I could smell cannabis, too. The I heard footstpes and someone said "lets have a look at these tattoos of yours so everyone will know who you are"

"BY that, he meant they wanted other members of ALF to be able to identify me in future in case I infiltrated them again. The next thing I knew someone has pushed my head  between his legs and I felt an excruciating pain across my back. I could smell burning skin and i realised I was being branded One of them said "Justice has been done" and another chuckled "The justice department" the name part of the ALF gives itself."

Hall had been seared across an expanse of his back measuring 4in by 9in with the letters ALF - and the branding iron had obviously been fashioned specifically for the task. hall believes it was either heated on an open fire or gas ring. The pain wasn't too bad at first" he said "I suppose my nerve ends were cauterised... but after a few minutes it became so unbearable I wet myself again. They made a big joke of that, and they threatened me and my family and said they'd torch my home"

After nearly 12 hours, Hall was grabbed and marched back to the car where he was again sat on and driven off.

On reaching a deserted stretch of road, his hands and feet were freed and he was thrown out of the van while being told."If you go to the police or Press you'' die"

Hall siad "I sat by the road and cried for quite q while. I didn't know what they had branded on my back and i needed to know what they had done to me. They left me feeling raped and violated. I'd have much preferred a pasting because bruises heal and bones mend... but they have left their mark forever"

Hall hailed a passing motorist and hitched a lift back to his car. When he arrived at the Midlands house he shares with his wife and their two children, she was too horrified even to look at his back She took her husband to hospital where equally shocked medical staff treated him with antiseptic and gauze dressing.

Knowing ALF's penchant for the terror tactic of poisoning merchandise, Hall feared his wound may have been deliberately infected with something, but doctors assured him hat the heat applied to his skin would have rendered any foreign bodies harmless. For the next twenty four hours Hall thought about whether he should heed the ALF warning and keep the ordeal to himself.

The the indignation he has always exhibited when faced with blatant injustices began to resurface. He told Donald Monaghan his friend and producer at Channel 4 who reported the attack to the police.

Hall is now giving a formal statement to CID officers and with similar defiance, he has told his story to The Mail on Sunday.

Police are also studying a tape from his CCTV home surveillance system which last week picked up an intruder atempting to climb into his garden carrying  what looked like a pickaxe handle. Halls wife also saw the man, who quickly retreated. otherwise detectives have precious few clues to work on. Intriguingly, hammond had written t Hall last June after the documentary had exposed him as a thug. In a vaguely ominous letter, he said "Dear Graham, I thought I would drop you a line to see how you are. Long time no hear or see? I expect you are busy undercover? Still its what you're good at. I was in...recently and actually went by your house. I could not stop on this occasion but next time I'll pop in and say "hello" to your Mum. Maybe hear from you soon. David Hammond"

Hampshire Police have refused to discuss why they chose not to prosecute anyone as a result of Hall's TV documentary.

In a statement they said "It has been decided that factors revealed in the course of the investgation and not connected with the published TV prgramme or the programme makers or the supporting material provided by Channel 4 - have led to the conclusion that a prosecution should not be commenced"

Meanwhile Channel 4 has offered to pay for plastic surgery to help to conceal the letters on Hall's back and he is awaiting an appointment with surgeons to discuss skin grafts. healing his mind may take a lot longer though.

"I have been badly shaken by this but it will not deter me from carrying on" he said "I will not rest until I bring these men to justice... and it wont be the sort of justice they dal in. They are terrorists, not animal rights campaigners. They can't function without violence. They have done this to me because I hurt them with my film. They wanted to get back at me, pure and simple, But there was more than a trace of a gleam in his eye as he added "I don't do this job for a buzz. Nor do I get kicks out of it. It is the challenge that motivates me - and now I have a real challenge. One day I will infiltrate ALF again. And next time they wont get away with it./

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