Woman jailed for giving lover HIV

Sarah Jane Porter admitted the charges

A woman who recklessly infected her lover with HIV has been sentenced to more than two-and-a-half years.

Sarah Jane Porter, 43, of Seaton Close, Kennington, south-east London, was sentenced to 32 months after admitting recklessly inflicting GBH.

The court heard that, knowing she had the virus, she had unprotected sex with her 31-year-old lover of two years.

At the Inner London Crown Court Porter was told she will serve half her sentence in prison and half on licence.

Three more of her partners were traced in the inquiry, one of the first in the UK involving reckless infection.

It is hard to comprehend how or why Porter set about this chain of events Det Sgt Brian McClusky, Met Police

After reading out a statement from the victim the judge said: "The one person who he loved had lied to him time and time again.

"It was her cruelty and dishonesty that made him feel worthless and after that he had had suicidal tendencies."

An inquiry started when detectives were alerted by a 36-year-old man who said Porter did not reveal she had HIV but had encouraged him to have unprotected sex with her.

Detectives then tracked down other people Porter had slept with, one of whom was HIV positive.

Forensic testing

The court heard Porter had refused to help police trace her previous partners but that forensic tests had proved she was the source.

Det Sgt Brian McClusky said: "Once found, we were then introducing them [her victims] to a potential nightmare.

"We located four victims. One was infected, and the quality of his life has been severely curtailed.

"It is hard to comprehend how or why Porter set about this chain of events."

The case is one of the first convictions for reckless infection. In 2005, a 20-year-old Welsh woman was convicted of infecting her boyfriend with HIV during sex, knowing she had the infection.

The prospect of the police investigating the sexual history of people living with HIV in this speculative way is profoundly stigmatising Deborah Jack, National Aids Trust

Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of the National Aids Trust, said she had serious concerns about the way the Porter case was investigated.

"The prospect of the police investigating the sexual history of people living with HIV in this speculative way is profoundly stigmatising, and appears to treat everyone with HIV as a potential criminal," she said.

"We seem to be back in the bad old days at the beginning of the epidemic when HIV had to be someone's fault."

Lisa Power, of the Terrence Higgins Trust said most people with HIV "try hard" not to pass the infection on.

"However, a third of people living with HIV don't know they have it, which is why everyone should take responsibility for their own sexual health," she said.