BBC Three is releasing a documentary about Daryll Rowe, the first person in England to ever be convicted of deliberately spreading HIV.
The Man Who Used HIV As A Weapon will tell the intimate stories of five men who were abused by the hairdresser as they question why he chose to commit such a heinous crime with so many men.
Five of Daryll's many victims have waived their anonymity to speak publicly for the first time, despite some of them never having told their families.
The harrowing accounts tell how Daryll set out on a nationwide campaign to trick men he'd met on dating app Grindr into having unprotected sex with him, over an 18 month period.
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We're told Daryll lied to the men about his HIV status and purposely sabotaged condoms before taunting them with abusive messages, telling them "You have HIV. Lol." According to BBC, a total of 24 men came forward to the police, but no one knows just how many people Daryll slept with in that time.
He was sentenced to life in prison in May 2018 for trying to infect 10 men in England with the disease, making him the first man in the country to be found guilty of intentionally trying to spread HIV.
While serving his life setence in England, Daryll was also handed eight years in Scotland for admitting four counts of culpable and reckless conduct at the high court in Edinburgh.
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The documentary delves into the "devastating effect of the psychological abuse, but also the resilience of ordinary people."
We also hear from Daryll's mother, Jacqui, as she tries to understand and come to terms with her son's heinous crimes. But, there's only one man with an explanation, and that's Daryll.
Filmmakers come face to face with Daryll in a tense showdown as they attempt to understand and provide answers for his victims.
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The Man Who Used HIV As A Weapon launched on BBC iPlayer on 15th March 2019.
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