Daryll Rowe victim infected with HIV can’t get compensation because he heckled a Tory politician
Daryll Rowe, who was convicted of deliberately infecting five men with HIV. (Facebook)
A man who was infected with HIV has been denied compensation because he heckled a Conservative politician.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was infected with HIV by Darryll Rowe, who has been jailed infecting at least nine men with the illness in two separate trials in England and Scotland.
Despite the harrowing ordeal, the man will not receive compensation because he has a previous conviction for heckling a Conservative politician in 2012 at an anti-austerity march, reports the BBC.
Daryll Rowe targeted men in England and Scotland
As the “threatening and abusive behaviour” conviction is unspent, the victim – identified under the pseudonym of Matthew – will not be allowed to access the expected sum of £22,000 from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).
“It’s such an injustice. What happened to Matthew was that in 2012 he attended a meeting of a politician and did a one-man protest against austerity shouting things like ‘no ifs, no buts, no public service cuts,'” former UK Justice Secretary Lord Charlie Falconer told the BBC on Good Morning Scotland.
“He was disruptive but not violent. He was sentenced for a criminal offence to 100 hours community service.”
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has also written a letter to the CICA asking for the man to be awarded the compensation.
Rowe tried to infect 10 men with HIV in total in his spree.
As well as having unprotected sex with the men, he sabotaged condoms so that they would contract the illness.
He has been sentenced to life in prison.
Deborah Gold, Chief Executive of National AIDS Trust, said that the harrowing case is “the first of its kind in the UK.”
“People living with HIV should not be avoided, feared or discriminated against, including when it comes to sex and dating,” Gold told PinkNews.
The hairdresser was given a life sentence in April
“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 realise, 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 which one could only commit by avoiding one’s own crucial treatment. Our thoughts are with the victims in this case.”
