HIV criminalisation cases

The latest cases curated for the HIV Justice Network from global news reports.

Showing 50 of 50 cases

UK: Woman remanded in custody in Scotland after throwing blood at police and stating she was HIV positive and had Hep C

Latest update 22 July 2025

Scotland United Kingdom Women Other

UK: Police investigating allegations of alleged HIV transmission against 41-year-old man

Latest update 27 September 2023

England United Kingdom Alleged sexual exposure

UK: 29 year-old man charged with alleged criminal transmission of HIV

Latest update 13 September 2023

England United Kingdom Alleged sexual transmission Gay men

UK: Man charged with grievous bodily harm for alleged HIV transmission sentenced to three years and four months in Leeds

Latest update 7 June 2023

England United Kingdom Alleged sexual transmission Heterosexual men

UK: Man placed under GPS monitoring and given suspended sentence for breaching Sexual Risk Order

Latest update 5 May 2023

England United Kingdom Alleged sexual exposure Heterosexual men

[Update] UK: Man extradited from Jamaica for alleged ‘reckless’ HIV transmission jailed for 3 years

Latest update 5 April 2023

England Jamaica United Kingdom Alleged sexual transmission Heterosexual men

UK: Suffolk woman given suspended sentence for trying to bite a police officer

Latest update 23 July 2021

England United Kingdom Biting Women

UK: Woman with low viral load sentenced to 14 months in prison for biting police officer

Latest update 21 October 2020

England United Kingdom Biting Women

UK: 25 months for woman living with HIV who bit police officer

Latest update 10 October 2020

England United Kingdom Biting Women Youth

UK: Magistrate fines woman for throwing bloodstained clothes, stating she was “using them as a weapon containing HIV”

Latest update 2 October 2020

Wales United Kingdom Other

UK: 32-year-old man sentenced to 22 weeks for spitting at public service officer

Latest update 1 June 2020

England United Kingdom Spitting

UK: Woman with HIV/Hep C and mental health issues sentenced to 6 months for throwing sanitary pad at police

Latest update 12 May 2020

England United Kingdom Women Other

[Update]UK: 61-year-old man sentenced to eight years imprisonment plus extended probation of four and a half years for HIV transmission

Latest update 30 April 2020

England United Kingdom Alleged sexual transmission Heterosexual men

UK: Woman accused of HIV exposure in Scotland for allegedly spitting blood at someone

Latest update 20 March 2020

Scotland United Kingdom Spitting Women

UK: Woman sues her husband for alleged HIV transmission

Latest update 23 July 2019

England United Kingdom Alleged sexual transmission Women Civil cases (non criminal)

UK: Mother-of-two sentenced to 3 years in jail for allegedly flicking blood at bailiffs

Latest update 3 May 2019

England United Kingdom Alleged sexual exposure Women

[Update] UK: 26 year-old man loses appeal against conviction and sentence for intentional HIV exposure / transmission

Latest update 2 November 2018

England United Kingdom Alleged sexual exposure Alleged sexual transmission Gay men

[Update] UK: Lancashire man sentenced to six years and nine months in prison for alleged HIV transmission

Latest update 30 October 2018

England United Kingdom Alleged sexual transmission

UK: Man given a four-year sexual risk order by Southampton court for HIV non-disclosure and told to give police 24 hrs notice if he intends to have sex

Latest update 11 October 2018

England United Kingdom Alleged sexual exposure Heterosexual men

UK: 23-year-old man of Ghanaian background found guilty of reckless grievous bodily harm, sentenced to five years for alleged HIV transmission to two young women

Latest update 24 September 2018

England United Kingdom Alleged sexual transmission Heterosexual men Migrants Youth

UK: Doctor convicted of fraud for not disclosing his HIV status to NHS

Latest update 19 June 2018

England United Kingdom Medical/dental

UK: Man charged with causing grievous bodily harm for alleged HIV transmission

Latest update 25 November 2017

England United Kingdom Alleged sexual transmission Heterosexual men

UK: Devon man living with HIV on suspended sentence charged with assault and jailed for spitting at policeman

Latest update 4 September 2017

England United Kingdom Spitting

UK: 25 year-old gay man sentenced to 7 years in jail for ‘reckless’ HIV transmission to two men

Latest update 16 August 2017

England United Kingdom Alleged sexual transmission Gay men Youth

UK: Man living with HIV admits simple assault after biting a police officer, however despite media and court acknowledging that HIV could not have been transmitted, his name and photo are published

Latest update 31 May 2017

England United Kingdom Biting

[Update] Scotland: Dundee woman sentenced to 16 months in jail for “culpably and recklessly” pricking a youngster with needle

Latest update 3 November 2016

Scotland United Kingdom Needle/syringe Women

Northern Ireland: HIV positive woman sentenced to 5 months in custody for biting police officer

Latest update 1 September 2016

Northern Ireland United Kingdom Biting Women

UK: Man jailed for five yeats at Bristol Crown Court for reckless transmission of HIV

Latest update 11 December 2015

England United Kingdom Alleged sexual exposure Alleged sexual transmission Heterosexual men

[Update]UK: CPS drops reckless HIV transmission prosecution due to lack of phylogenetic report

Latest update 15 September 2015

England United Kingdom Alleged sexual transmission Heterosexual men Migrants

UK: Midlands woman charged with intentional and/or reckless HIV transmission to three men

Latest update 30 June 2015

England United Kingdom Alleged sexual transmission Women

UK: Zambian migrant, 28, pleads guilty to two counts of ‘reckless’ HIV transmission, sentenced to seven years

Latest update 15 June 2015

Wales United Kingdom Alleged sexual transmission Heterosexual men Migrants

UK: Southport man who spat at and attempted to bite cops whilst threatening to infect them with HIV is jailed for 16 weeks; intent to infect was an aggravating factor said judge

Latest update 8 June 2015

England United Kingdom Risk Judges Police Biting Spitting

UK: Brighton police receive PEP for bite and scratch from man with HIV despite ‘minimal risk’, reported in media worldwide likely adding to HIV stigma

Latest update 10 October 2014

England United Kingdom Risk Police Biting

UK: Young heterosexual man in Wales pleads not guilty to reckless HIV and hepatitis B transmission. Next hearing May 12

Latest update 17 February 2014

Wales United Kingdom Alleged sexual transmission Heterosexual men

UK: Judge directs jury in Leicester reckless HIV transmission trial to find Zimbabwe migrant, 32, not guilty of one of two charges due to lack of evidence, but he is found guilty on other charge, sentenced to 4 1/2 years

Latest update 12 September 2013

England United Kingdom Scientific tests Alleged sexual transmission Heterosexual men Migrants

UK: Man, 30, pleads guilty to ‘reckless’ HIV transmission, gets 2 1/2 years

Latest update 2 March 2013

England United Kingdom Alleged sexual transmission Heterosexual men

UK: Man suspected of being HIV positive spat at police officer – Latest News – Bury Free Press

Latest update 24 February 2013

England United Kingdom Spitting

UK: [Update]Stigma alert: British tabloid’s sensationalised interview with former partner of man recently convicted of reckless HIV transmission

Latest update 5 December 2012

England United Kingdom Media/Public Opinion Alleged sexual transmission Heterosexual men

UK: Scottish man receives compensation after acquiring HIV from his civil partner

Latest update 1 December 2012

Scotland United Kingdom Alleged sexual transmission Gay men Civil cases (non criminal)

UK: Polish shoplifter jailed for stabbing police officer with a hypodermic needle after telling her he is HIV positive

Latest update 5 October 2012

England United Kingdom Needle/syringe

In what appears to the first ever criminal case of sexual hepatitis B virus transmission, a man in Gloucester has been sentenced to two years in prison under Section 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 – the…

England United Kingdom Other

UK: Refugee with ‘suspected’ HIV jailed for ‘biting’ cop

Latest update 26 April 2008

England United Kingdom Biting

UK: Hunt for Mark James continues

Latest update 15 October 2007

England United Kingdom Alleged sexual transmission Gay men

UK: First intentional HIV transmission case in UK?

Latest update 3 October 2007

England United Kingdom Alleged sexual transmission Heterosexual men

UK: Michael Fielder sentenced (UK reckless transmission case thrown out due to lack of evidence)

Latest update 14 July 2007

England United Kingdom Alleged sexual transmission Gay men

UK: Man sentenced to 5 years in Scotland for alleged “reckless transmission”

Latest update 17 November 2001

Scotland United Kingdom Alleged sexual transmission Heterosexual men

UK: Woman remanded in custody in Scotland after throwing blood at police and stating she was HIV positive and had Hep C

UK: Police investigating allegations of alleged HIV transmission against 41-year-old man

UK: 29 year-old man charged with alleged criminal transmission of HIV

UK: Man charged with grievous bodily harm for alleged HIV transmission sentenced to three years and four months in Leeds

UK: Man placed under GPS monitoring and given suspended sentence for breaching Sexual Risk Order

[Update] UK: Man extradited from Jamaica for alleged ‘reckless’ HIV transmission jailed for 3 years

UK: Suffolk woman given suspended sentence for trying to bite a police officer

UK: Woman with low viral load sentenced to 14 months in prison for biting police officer

UK: 25 months for woman living with HIV who bit police officer

UK: Magistrate fines woman for throwing bloodstained clothes, stating she was “using them as a weapon containing HIV”

UK: 32-year-old man sentenced to 22 weeks for spitting at public service officer

UK: Woman with HIV/Hep C and mental health issues sentenced to 6 months for throwing sanitary pad at police

[Update]UK: 61-year-old man sentenced to eight years imprisonment plus extended probation of four and a half years for HIV transmission

UK: Woman accused of HIV exposure in Scotland for allegedly spitting blood at someone

UK: Woman sues her husband for alleged HIV transmission

UK: Mother-of-two sentenced to 3 years in jail for allegedly flicking blood at bailiffs

[Update] UK: 26 year-old man loses appeal against conviction and sentence for intentional HIV exposure / transmission

[Update] UK: Lancashire man sentenced to six years and nine months in prison for alleged HIV transmission

UK: Man given a four-year sexual risk order by Southampton court for HIV non-disclosure and told to give police 24 hrs notice if he intends to have sex

UK: 23-year-old man of Ghanaian background found guilty of reckless grievous bodily harm, sentenced to five years for alleged HIV transmission to two young women

UK: Doctor convicted of fraud for not disclosing his HIV status to NHS

UK: Man charged with causing grievous bodily harm for alleged HIV transmission

UK: Devon man living with HIV on suspended sentence charged with assault and jailed for spitting at policeman

UK: 25 year-old gay man sentenced to 7 years in jail for ‘reckless’ HIV transmission to two men

UK: Man living with HIV admits simple assault after biting a police officer, however despite media and court acknowledging that HIV could not have been transmitted, his name and photo are published

[Update] Scotland: Dundee woman sentenced to 16 months in jail for “culpably and recklessly” pricking a youngster with needle

Northern Ireland: HIV positive woman sentenced to 5 months in custody for biting police officer

UK: Man jailed for five yeats at Bristol Crown Court for reckless transmission of HIV

[Update]UK: CPS drops reckless HIV transmission prosecution due to lack of phylogenetic report

UK: Midlands woman charged with intentional and/or reckless HIV transmission to three men

UK: Zambian migrant, 28, pleads guilty to two counts of ‘reckless’ HIV transmission, sentenced to seven years

UK: Southport man who spat at and attempted to bite cops whilst threatening to infect them with HIV is jailed for 16 weeks; intent to infect was an aggravating factor said judge

UK: Brighton police receive PEP for bite and scratch from man with HIV despite ‘minimal risk’, reported in media worldwide likely adding to HIV stigma

UK: Young heterosexual man in Wales pleads not guilty to reckless HIV and hepatitis B transmission. Next hearing May 12

UK: Judge directs jury in Leicester reckless HIV transmission trial to find Zimbabwe migrant, 32, not guilty of one of two charges due to lack of evidence, but he is found guilty on other charge, sentenced to 4 1/2 years

UK: Man, 30, pleads guilty to ‘reckless’ HIV transmission, gets 2 1/2 years

UK: Man suspected of being HIV positive spat at police officer – Latest News – Bury Free Press

UK: [Update]Stigma alert: British tabloid’s sensationalised interview with former partner of man recently convicted of reckless HIV transmission

UK: Scottish man receives compensation after acquiring HIV from his civil partner

UK: Polish shoplifter jailed for stabbing police officer with a hypodermic needle after telling her he is HIV positive

UK: Scotsman pleads guilty to UK’s first-ever charges for HIV exposure

UK: Man who ‘claimed he had AIDS’ jailed for eight months after biting police

UK: Man previousy convicted of reckless HIV transmission jailed again

UK: HIV-positive woman who bit her best friend gets suspended sentence

UK: Man jailed for two years for sexual hepatitis B transmission – world first?

UK: Refugee with ‘suspected’ HIV jailed for ‘biting’ cop

UK: Hunt for Mark James continues

UK: First intentional HIV transmission case in UK?

UK: Michael Fielder sentenced (UK reckless transmission case thrown out due to lack of evidence)

UK: Man sentenced to 5 years in Scotland for alleged “reckless transmission”