Man jailed for seven years for ‘recklessly’ infecting two gay partners with HIV
A man from Nottingham has been sentenced to seven years in prison for recklessly transmitting HIV infection to two male sexual partners.
Antonio Reyes-Minana was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm to two victims.
He had tested positive for HIV in 2010, but went on to have unprotected sex with two men without telling them about his HIV status, despite the chance of them contracting HIV.
In the case of one victim, he explicitly lied about his HIV status.
Nottingham Crown Court heard that he pursued sexual relationships with both victims, one of whom he met via mutual friends and another he met online. One victim discovered they had contracted the virus in 2012, the other in 2013.
Reyes-Minana was convicted by jury at Nottingham Crown Court and was today sentenced to a total of seven years in prison – three and a half years for each victim, with the sentences to run consecutively.
James Allen from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Antonio Reyes-Minana withheld his HIV status from one partner and lied to the other.
“He lied about the nature of his relationships with the victims and tried to blame a third party for infecting them, insinuating that their allegations were part of a plot against him.
“However, scientific evidence supported the prosecution case that it was Reyes-Minana had transmitted the virus to the victims.
“The victims gave important evidence during the trial to demonstrate how Reyes-Minana must have known he was taking the risk of transmitting HIV.
“The CPS supported both victims by securing special measures in court, allowing them to give their evidence without the additional pressure of being publicly identified.
“The consequences of Reyes-Minana’s actions will remain with his victims for the rest of their lives. This sentence reflects the seriousness of his offending.”
According to the Nottingham Post, Judge Stuart Rafferty QC said: “That anger to some extent blinded you to what would happen in two subsequent relationships, which were of real significance to the other people involved and of real significance to you.
“These were not one-night stands and involved you knowingly and recklessly exposing them to the risk of HIV. Just as you contracted it, so did they.
“There are no winners, you don’t win, they don’t win. Nobody wins.
“What you did was criminal. You broke their trust and stole their right to choose.”
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