Mixed views at outcome of Aids infection case
6 Apr 07
Charities unhappy at prosecution and nine year sentence, but Victim Support differs
A man who infected his girlfriend with HIV and hepatitis C has been sentenced to nine years in prison, a decision that Aids charities say is likely to make the problem worse.
Sentencing Giovanni Mola at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday, Judge Lord Hodge said the Italian chef's refusal to wear condoms showed a callous and chilling indifference towards the welfare of Miss X, with whom he began a sexual relationship in 2003, three years after being diagnosed with HIV and hepatitis C.
Mola was found guilty of culpably and recklessly failing to tell his partner of his medical condition and endangering her health and life by having sex with her.
The National Aids Trust said that while it did not condone Mola's actions, the sentence would increase the stigma of and discrimination against people with HIV and Aids, making it even more difficult for them to tell partners about their condition.
The charity HIV Scotland said the power to prosecute should be exercised sparingly in order to balance the interests of justice and public health.
However Victim Support Scotland commented that a victim was unlikely to see any other outcome than prosecution as satisfactory, provided the Crown agreed that charges should be brought.
Lord Hodge also recommended that Mola be deported at the end of his sentence on the grounds of public policy and public health, as he considered it likely that Mola would continue to behave in an irresponsible way towards sexual partners if allowed to remain in the UK.