Since 2001, 24 people have been prosecuted in the United Kingdom (20 in England and Wales, and four in Scotland, which has a different legal system) for giving their sexual partners HIV. However, many more cases have been investigated by the police and some of these investigations may be inappropriate. This highlights the importance of good legal advice at the earliest possible stage of an investigation.
The laws used to prosecute criminal HIV transmission developed from existing assault laws – recklessly or intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm in England and Wales and reckless endangerment and reckless or intentional injury in Scotland. The law in Northern Ireland is similar to that in England and Wales but there have been no prosecutions so far.
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