photo courtesy of Chesire Police
Jermaine Scott, a 29-year-old man, has been sentenced to three years in prison after recklessly giving a woman HIV over 14 years ago. Scott pled guilty to grievous bodily harm on Tuesday, April 4, at Chester Crown Court in Chesire for the sexually transmitted infection case, according to the Independent.
After the sentencing, the lead detective on the investigation, Detective Seargent Emma Myers, reflected, “It has taken more than 12 years to reach this point, and having supported the victim throughout the investigation, I have seen first-hand the pain and suffering that she has endured, both physically and psychologically.’
“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.”
Myers continued to explain, “While no sentence will ever be enough, I do hope that the fact that Scott is now behind bars and has been held accountable will provide her with some closure.”
The incident that brought the charges around against Scott began with the Jamaican man being diagnosed with HIV in 2005; he was prescribed medication to manage the contagious disease but failed to take them regularly them. At the time, he was in a relationship with the victim, and he didn’t tell the woman about his diagnosis to have unprotected sex with her. The woman became suspicious in October of 2009 and brought the two of them to a sexual health clinic to get tested for STIs. While there, Scott gave a fake name and contact information in an attempt to hide his results. After the victim received a positive test for HIV, they broke up, and Scott moved away from the area. It was reported to the police, and the investigation to find Scott took until February of 2011 before he was apprehended.
Initially, he wasn’t charged with anything because he refused to cooperate with police, and sufficient evidence to convict him wasn’t gathered at the time. Police could deport him back to Jamaica because he was in the United Kingdom illegally. Following his deportation to Jamaica, the victim requested the case to be reopened. The police gathered several medical experts to investigate more thoroughly, and they found that Scott had HIV at the time they were together and knew of his diagnosis at least three months before they rekindled their relationship. They also found a direct genetic link between the strains of HIV that the pair had.