Hairdresser ‘deliberately infected 10 gay lovers with HIV by tampering with his condoms’
A man stands accused of deliberately infecting 10 sexual partners with HIV by sabotaging condoms.
Daryll Rowe, from Edinburgh, is to stand trial accused of infecting several lovers with HIV after allegedly “tampering with the condoms” during sex.
He was originally accused of infecting two partners in the Brighton area between October 2015 and January 2017.
Since the first allegations emerged, more men have come forward to accuse Rowe of purposefully infecting them with HIV.
Police urgently called on Rowe’s sexual partners to come forward and get tested for HIV.
The 26-year-old, who is HIV-positive, denies all the charges against him of grievous bodily harm (GBH) and attempted grievous bodily harm.
Intentionally infecting someone with HIV is classified as GBH, and can be punishable with up to life imprisonment.
If an HIV-positive person is receiving treatment and the virus is at ‘undetectable’ levels in their system, then they cannot pass HIV on to others.
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Last week a judge granted all alleged victims anonymity in the case.
Anonymity is not automatically given to victims of GBH, meaning Judge Christine Henson had to step in to protect the alleged victims.
They will now be able to give evidence from behind a screen or on camera for their own protection.
Police called on anyone who had sex with Rowe to contact them and get tested for HIV.
The hairdresser is currently remanded in custody in Scotland but will be moved to Lewes to stand trial in October.
