He has now been jailed for life.https://t.co/yZakzBN5XM — Sussex Police (@sussex_police) April 18, 2018

Officials say a hairdresser who deliberately tried to infect 10 men with HIV is heading to prison. Hairdresser who tried to infect men from Grindr with HIV jailed for life

Branded “grotesque” and a “sociopath” by his victims, the 27-year-old was convicted in November of 10 charges – five of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and five of attempting to do so. Sentencing him at Brighton Crown Court on Wednesday, Judge Christine Henson QC said: “Given the facts of this case and your permissive predatory behaviour, I cannot see when you would no longer be a danger to gay men.”

Rowe, wearing a grey suit and open-collared white shirt, showed no emotion as statements from nine of his 10 victims were read out. Image copyright PA Image caption Darryll Rowe was branded as a "sociopath" by one victim

Sentencing Rowe at Brighton Crown Court, Judge Christine Henson QC said: "The messages you sent make it crystal clear you knew exactly what you were doing. "You are the first individual to be sentenced for Section 18 offences in the context of infecting others with HIV," she said

"With the full knowledge of the risk you posed to others and the legal implications of engaging in risky sexual practices, you embarked on a deliberate campaign to infect other men with the HIV virus. “Unfortunately for five of the men you met, your campaign was successful.”

The judge continued: “They describe living with a life sentence as a result of your cruel and senseless acts. “Many of those men were young men in their 20s at the time they had the misfortune to meet you.”

She told Rowe he poses a significant risk to the public, adding: “You will potentially remain a danger to others for the rest of your life.”

After being diagnosed in April 2015 in his home city of Edinburgh, Rowe met men on gay dating app Grindr and had sex with eight of them in Brighton, East Sussex, between October that year and February 2016, before fleeing to the North East where he went on the run from police, targeting two more victims. "Daryll Rowe was consistent in lying to his victims about having HIV, he was persistent and aggressive in wanting unprotected sex in order to infect people, and when he didn't get what he wanted, he deliberately damaged condoms to achieve his aim," he said. He would tell his victims - who he met on Grindr - that he was free of the virus, and then attempt to use tampered condoms during sex in a bid to infect them. After having sex with his partners, he would message some of the victims saying, “I have HIV LOL. “Many of those men were young men in their 20s at the time they had the misfortune to meet you.”

Victims told how they had considered suicide having suffered physical and psychological damage, needing to take daily medication. The victim said: “As long as he has strength in his body, he will be a risk. I would rather he had murdered me than left me to live my life like this.” Another victim said he thought he was going to die when he found out he had the virus, while another told of the “shattering effect” it had on him and his family, believing “it was a lifelong sentence, which would eventually kill me off” because of the stigma surrounding the disease.
A Crown Court in England jails Daryll Rowe for life with a minimum of 12 years for deliberately infecting five men with HIV and attempting to infect five more. He is the first person convicted of deliberate HIV transmission in the United Kingdom.