Kidderminster man jailed for recklessly transmitting HIV

Luke Davis, aged 31, was sentenced at Hereford Justice Centre today (Monday, January 12) for inflicting grievous bodily harm by recklessly transmitting HIV to a woman he had unprotected sex with.

He was found guilty by a jury on October 27, 2025, following a trial after the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, contracted the virus as a result of his failure to disclose the sexually transmitted disease and maintain his treatment.

At the sentencing, the complainant read a victim impact statement and said the actions of Davis had left her "distraught" and suffering from anxiety, depression, insomnia and "recurring nightmares".

The complainant, who described the diagnosis as a "life sentence", told the court: "Living with HIV has drastically affected my physical health and my everyday life."

She added: "I will always be grieving for the person I could have been."

During the Worcester Crown Court trial, which took place in Hereford last year, the court heard that Davis, of George Street, Kidderminster, knew he was HIV positive when he had sex with the complainant, but did not tell her as he was worried "everyone in town" would know.

The jury heard that Davis had "sporadically" stopped taking his medication and attending the HIV clinics after a family bereavement, but that he wouldn't have sex if he missed a tablet - an explanation "rejected" by His Honour Judge Jackson during sentencing.

Davis told the court that he didn't think he was at risk of passing on HIV to the complainant or other people he had sex with as he thought his viral load was "undetectable".

At sentencing, the court heard mitigating factors from the defence, including the defendant's mental health struggles, his good behaviour during his remand in custody, and character references, but His Honour Judge Jackson said there was an element of "premeditation" from the defendant.

Judge Jackson told the court that this was due to the fact Davis made the choice not to tell the complainant that he was HIV positive despite being advised to disclose his HIV status by medical professionals.

Sentencing Judge Jackson said the defendant "disengaged completely" with his medication and "repeatedly failed" to attend his appointments despite knowing the dangers of transmitting the infection.

He described the actions of Davis as "selfish" and said his remorse "came into existence very late in the day".

His Honour Judge Jackson said: "You behaved utterly irresponsibly."

Davis was sentenced to four and a half years imprisonment.

Giovanni D’Alessandro from the Crown Prosecution Service said: "This was a reckless and selfish individual who has caused irreparable damage by his actions. Luke Davis had been on the appropriate medication and knew he had to take it every day and have regular check-ups. His medication reduced the viral load to such a low level that it was controlled and could not be passed on. It was his choice to stop taking it and to stop attending clinic appointments.

"He further failed to inform the victim of his diagnosis and recklessly put them at risk of contracting the disease which they subsequently did. The prosecution was able to prove to a jury that Davis’ actions were criminal. The victim now faces the lifelong impact of living with HIV."

“We hope the sentence imposed provides some measure of justice to the victim and dissuades others from this type of dangerous and reckless behaviour.”