Man deliberately infected with HIV denied compensation over protest

A man who was deliberately infected with HIV has been denied compensation because he took part in an anti-austerity rally.

Daryll Rowe was jailed for life

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was one of the six men deliberately infected by Edinburgh hairdresser Daryll Rowe, who was jailed for life earlier this year.

People deliberately infected with HIV are entitled to compensation of £22,000 from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), which is governed by the Ministry of Justice.

But the CICA said the victim’s previous conviction for heckling a Tory politician in 2012 meant he was ineligible for any payout. It is understood he was convicted of “threatening or abusive behaviour” under the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act as a result of the 2012 protest.

The man was the first of Rowe’s victims to go to police, resulting in Rowe’s subsequent convictions.

Last month, Rowe became the first person ever to be convicted of intentionally transmitting the virus, and was given a life sentence in an English court for infecting five men and attempting to infect five more.

Earlier this month, a Scottish judge gave Rowe a further eight-year sentence for infecting another man as well as attempting to infect three more.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson and the former UK Justice Secretary, Lord Falconer have reportedly written to the CICA urging them to rethink the decision to withhold compensation.

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