Man jailed for giving partner HIV

A 44-year-old man who had unprotected sex with his partner knowing he had HIV was jailed for four years today.

Nkosinati Mabanda admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm on the woman by infecting her with the HIV virus.

His victim, a woman from Darlaston, discovered Mabanda was HIV positive after finding a text message from his secret fiancee on his mobile phone, West Midlands Police said.

The two women began to talk and his fiancee advised the victim to get an HIV test, which she did.

The test came back positive and Mabanda was immediately reported to police in April 2009.

In his interview he admitted he was fully aware he carried the virus and subsequently pleaded guilty to GBH in February, police said. He was bailed while awaiting sentencing.

However, he was later remanded in custody after the case was adjourned due to new information after a woman saw his photograph in a newspaper and contacted police saying he started an unprotected sexual relationship with her while out on bail.

The woman was tested for the virus and was found not to have contracted it. Her evidence formed part of the final court hearing, police said.

Mabanda, of no fixed address, was also handed an anti-social behaviour order at Wolverhampton Crown Court today which prohibits him from engaging in sexual activity with any person without first disclosing his HIV status to that person.

The judge said a transcript of the sentencing would be sent to the Secretary of State to consider deportation on Mabanda's release from prison.

Superintendent Jan Thomas-West, from West Midlands Police, said many experts had been enlisted in the "complex and lengthy investigation" to help establish that Mabanda did in fact infect his partner with HIV.

She said: "The particularly disturbing element of this case is Mabanda's blase attitude towards his victim and his various other partners.

"Mabanda told officers that he had had sex with nine women in the UK and that seven of them had not known he was HIV positive. Unfortunately, these women were impossible to trace.

"He seems to have shown no regard for the health of others or the potential life sentence he may have passed on to anyone who had sex with him.

"His victim will remain on medication forever and her life expectancy has been reduced as a direct result of his actions.

"I am pleased that Mabanda has received a significant custodial sentence today."

In a statement issued by West Midlands Police, the victim said: "I am pleased with the sentence given to Mabanda today and that the judge recognised the seriousness of what he has done.

"I feel a combination of anger and relief. Anger at what he has done to me and potentially other women and relief because he has been punished for his actions.

"I think he should have been given life because that's the sentence he has given to me.

"What he did has had a devastating impact and will affect me every day for the rest of my life, but now I want to move on.

"If anyone else recognises him because of the media coverage and they have been infected, they should go to the police and I will be there for them."