A Scottish hairdresser has been sentenced to life in prison for intentionally infecting his Grindr dates with HIV.

Twenty-six-year-old Daryll Rowe, who is HIV-positive, was found guilty of grievous bodily harm and attempted grievous bodily harm for allegedly “tampering with the condoms” during sex.

He infected at least five people after attempting to infect at least 10. Rowe must now spend a minimum of 10 years in prison.

Denied Knowing HIV Positive Status

In November last year, The Sussex Police released footage which shows Rowe misleading law enforcement agents about his current HIV status. In the video, Rowe declares that as of his last test he was HIV-negative.

Sussex Police uploaded CCTV footage below to YouTube under caution

The footage is dated February 5, 2016, however, it has since been revealed that Rowe was diagnosed with HIV in April 2015 while he was living in Edinburgh.

It was also heard in court that he had told sexual partners that he was HIV-positive after having unprotected sex with them, allegedly texting one victim: “Maybe you have the fever cos I came inside you and I have HIV, lol. Whoops!”

In another instance, he revealed his status and admitted to the man he ripped the condom calling the victim ‘stupid’ for not knowing.

Sussex Police Detective Inspector Andy Wolstenholme called Rowe a “dangerous man” before indicating that the court’s verdict “will bring some closure to the victims who have been very strong through the investigation.”

During the trial, Judge Christine Hensen granted the victims lifelong anonymity and gave them the option of testifying behind a screen.

Welcomed Verdict

Detective Inspector Andy Wolstenholme, of Sussex Police, said: “It will bring some closure to the victims who have been very strong and supportive through the investigation.”

He finished: “The victims have demonstrated real strength of character in speaking out about this, and because of this strength and the hard work of the detectives, staff and partners working on the case, a dangerous man, who betrayed the trust of many men, will now be imprisoned.”

Deborah Gold, Chief Executive of NAT (National AIDS Trust) said: “People living with HIV should not be avoided, feared or discriminated against, even when it comes to sex and dating.

“Well over 100,000 people are living with HIV in the UK, and the vast majority of them cannot pass on the virus to others due to effective medication – this is something most people don’t realize, unfortunately.

“The Rowe case is the first of its kind in the UK and is an exceptionally rare thing to encounter. To intentionally transmit HIV is a deplorable crime, one could only commit to avoiding one’s own crucial treatment. Our thoughts are with the victims in this case.”