Hairdresser gets life for deliberately giving HIV to five men
a HAIRDRESSER was jailed for life yesterday for infecting a string of lovers with HIV.
It is the first time anyone in Britain has been convicted of deliberately passing on the virus. a jury was told that daryll Rowe, 27, tried to infect as many men as possible during a ‘warped campaign’.
over three months he had sex with ten men he met on the gay dating app Grindr. he infected five of them with HIV, Brighton Crown Court was told.
one victim said: ‘I think about committing suicide most of the time. daryll has destroyed my life.’ another considered taking an overdose of sleeping tablets to end his misery.
Rowe was convicted of five counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and five further counts of attempted GBH with intent.
Passing a sentence of life with a minimum of 12 years, Judge Christine henson QC told him: ‘You moved to Brighton, a location you had no ties with but which is well known for its significant gay population.
‘You embarked on a deliberate campaign to infect other men with the HIV virus. unfortunately for five of the men your campaign was successful.
‘You are the first individual to be sentenced for a section 18 offence for infection by HIV. The offences were motivated by a desire to infect other gay men.
‘on the victims the psychological effects have been immense. They describe living with a life sentence due to your cruel and senseless acts.
‘I cannot see how and when you cannot be a danger to gay men. a life sentence is justified.’
Caroline Carberry QC, prosecuting, said Rowe had high-risk sexual intercourse with his victims knowing he was highly infectious. during his six-week trial last year, Lewes Crown Court was told Rowe, who was out of work, had been diagnosed with HIV in april 2015.
Rather than starting a course of anti-retroviral drugs, which combat the symptoms and
‘Cruel and senseless acts’
reduce the contagiousness, he turned down treatment.
he moved from his flat in Musselburgh, a suburb of Edinburgh, to Brighton and embarked on his sinister campaign.
after having sex with a victim Rowe would send shocking and abusive messages in which he would taunt them and tell them he had infected them with the life-changing virus.
a text message said: ‘ Maybe you have the fever coz I have HIV LOL. Whoops!’
another victim was told by Rowe: ‘I ripped the condom. Burn. I got you.’
In another text he admitted: ‘I’m riddled by the way.’
he was arrested after two men began to develop symptoms of HIV and reported him to police.
There have been previous convictions of defendants who infected victims with HIV but they were all found to have acted ‘recklessly’.
This is the first case where someone has been convicted of deliberately setting out with the intent to infect others. In 2003, Mohammed dica was found guilty of reckless grievous bodily harm for ‘callously’ infecting two women with the HIV virus.
The father of three’s conviction was later quashed but he was found guilty at a retrial in 2005 of giving one of the women the virus.