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“She will now live the rest of her life forever marred by the actions of Scott. There is no cure and she will now have to take medication for the rest of her life. Scott’s actions have also affected her relationships with others and she no longer trusts men’
A Jamaican man who knowingly infected a woman with HIV has been jailed in the UK. Jermaine Scott appeared at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday where he was sentenced to three years in prison. The 39-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm.
Scott was diagnosed with HIV in 2005 and had been prescribed medication to minimise the risk of transmission to others. He and the victim had previously been in a relationship and rekindled their relationship in the summer of 2009. When the relationship restarted, Scott was not taking his tablets regularly, meaning that there was a higher risk of transmission. He also failed to inform the victim of his diagnosis and went on to have unprotected sex with the woman.
The victim became suspicious of his behavior, and in October 2009, the pair attended a sexual health clinic. While at the clinic, Scott provided a false name and false medical details to the health worker.
According to the police, Scott refused to answer any questions put to him by officers and despite a detailed investigation, officers were unable to gather sufficient evidence to charge him in relation to the incident and the case was closed.
He was subsequently deported from the UK to Jamaica in November 2011 after it was found that he was in the UK illegally.
Shortly after his deportation, the victim asked the case to be reopened and detectives subsequently sought help from a number of medical experts who revealed that “it was highly likely that the victim had been infected with HIV in the three months before her diagnosis, while she was in a relationship with Scott”.
In 2019, the additional evidence was presented to the CPS, who agreed to charge Scott with grievous bodily harm in February 2020. An extradition warrant was issued, and he was returned to the UK in to be charged in connection with the incident.
The victim will now live the rest of her life forever marred by the actions of Scott. There is no cure and she will now have to take medication for the rest of her life. Scott’s actions have also affected her relationships with others and she no longer trusts men. (9Newsbreak)
