HIV carrier knowingly infected two lovers

AN HIV carrier was promised a long jail sentence in England yesterday following a landmark conviction for “coldly and callously” infecting two lovers with the “death sentence” virus.

Mohammed Dica conned the first woman into having unprotected sex by claiming he had a vasectomy.

As she tried to cope with a cocktail of drugs designed to delay the onset of AIDS, he targeted his second victim. Doctors say both could be dead in 10 years.

Dica, 38, of Fleming Road, Mitcham, Surrey, simply blinked his eyes a couple of times as the jury at the Inner London Crown Court returned unanimous guilty verdicts on two counts of inflicting "biological" grievous bodily harm a legal first in England and Wales.

The verdicts were greeted with applause, shouts of "yes" and uncontrolled sobbing from his second victim in the public gallery.

Dica, who may have only a few years left to live, remained impassive as Judge Nicholas Philpot warned he faced a lengthy period in prison.

Outside court the second woman he infected, who can be identified only as 'Deborah', still sobbed as she told departing jurors: "I thank you very much, I thank you very much."

The court heard the Kenyan began gambling with other people's lives a couple of years after being diagnosed with HIV in December 1995.

His first victim, a divorcee, was introduced to him by her cousin. Just before they first had sex, she asked him to wear a condom, but he assured her there was no need because he had had a vasectomy.

Six months later she developed thrush and swollen neck glands. In October 1998, after a number of tests, she was told she was HIV positive.

Their relationship ended shortly afterwards. By that time she had discovered she was pregnant and felt abortion was the only option.

Just before Christmas 2000, Dica found another victim Deborah, a mother of two, also in her thirties and they quickly became lovers. She agreed to leave her partner for him but no sooner had she left than Dica disappeared just as the first signs of the virus began to make themselves felt.

After tracking him down, Deborah discovered he had previously infected another girlfriend. That left her very shaken and angry, and hours later she went to the police.