Note: this article, which first appeared in the news in September 2013, is being republished.
After being found guilty of raping a sleeping woman, a British man was informed that he might have gotten HIV from his victim.
According to the BBC, Richard Thomas, 27, was found guilty of raping a woman in her house while she slept and was given a sentence of five years and four months in prison. Thomas claimed he was aware of the woman’s illness but was unaware that it might be HIV. According to reports, he passed out upon hearing the news.
On the night of the attack, Thomas claimed to have consumed a lot of alcohol and to have used cocaine and ecstasy at different times during the evening. He claimed that although he could not remember much of the incident, he trusted the woman’s account.
According to the police, Thomas entered the woman’s house without permission, walked into her bedroom, and then attacked her as she slept. After taking a sleeping pill, the woman woke up to discover that Thomas was raping her.
Harry Pepper, the prosecution, stated, “She froze and no words were exchanged.” “He left after pulling up his shorts.”
Virginia Hayton, Thomas’s attorney, stated that although Thomas was not certain of what had happened that evening, he assured her that the woman “would not lie, she tells the truth.” The Telegraph claims that “if she says I have done it, I have done it.” Whether Thomas knew his victim prior to the incident was not immediately apparent.
The case’s presiding judge, Mark Brown, sentenced Thomas to five years and four months in prison and placed him permanently on the Sex Offenders Register for the “dreadful offense.”
Hayton said that Thomas was in excruciating pain from what had happened that night. Thomas has a history of convictions, but none related to rape or sexual assault.
“[Thomas] is troubled by it and regrets it. He cannot understand why he did it,” Hayton stated. Additionally, she mentioned that Thomas had a lengthy history with drugs and alcohol, having begun using cannabis at the age of nine and drinking by the age of eleven. Additionally, Thomas disclosed that he was treated for his adolescent cocaine and ecstasy addictions at the age of 13.
Shortly after being informed of the possibility, Thomas was scheduled to receive the results of the HIV test. Whether Thomas got the illness or not was unclear.
Meanwhile, Hayton sent Thomas a few brief sympathies.
The Mirror said that she stated, “This [HIV test] has been hanging over his head.” “He is to blame.” He wouldn’t have put himself in this situation if he hadn’t done this crime.
Sources: Mirror, The Telegraph, and the BBC
