Zlin, South Moravia, Feb 13 (CTK) – The Regional Court in Zlin sentenced Czech man Pavel Sousedik, 53, to eight years in prison for spreading HIV virus knowingly.
The man has probably infected one person with HIV and threatened another one with the infection, according to the indictment.
Sousedik, who faced up to 12 years in prison originally, pleads not guilty. He appealed the verdict on Monday.
He claims he informed his partners about his illness beforehand and moreover, that he had no sex with the infected man at all.
Sousedik is prosecuted on suspicion of having caused a serious bodily harm and spreading an infectious disease.
State attorney Leo Foltyn says Sousedik infected a 34-year-old man with HIV in his place of residence in June 2013 and that he had unprotected sex with a 45-year-old man in a hotel in Brno in October 2014. The other man did not become infected by coincidence only, Foltyn adds.
Sousedik has been HIV positive since 2005. He was treated with syphilis in the past.
He told the court he had got infected with HIV when providing first aid during a traffic accident.
He dismissed he had infected the younger man with HIV, saying he had no sex with him. He admitted having unprotected sex with the other man, but he said he had informed him about being HIV positive, which the man confirmed to the court.
The infected man told the court that he had learnt about Sousedik being HIV positive only a day after unprotected sex with him.
The court expert, doctor Marketa Petrovova, said she had repeatedly instructed Sousedik about how to behave as an HIV positive. She called his behaviour risky.
Sousedik is also charged with bribery and abuse of power. A Zlin district court will deal with this case.
According to the police, he was taking bribes in his post of a commissioner in charge of firearm licence applicants’ tests. He faces up to ten years behind bars if convicted.
