Man jailed for exposing three women to HIV

AN HIV-positive man who knowingly exposed three women to the virus has been sentenced to 32 months in prison.

Robert Richardson II, aged 30, apologised at his sentencing, but said his behaviour, while unethical, was not criminal and that none of the women has tested positive for HIV.

“Fighting to put me in a cage will do far, far more harm than good,” he said.

Richardson was found guilty last month of four counts of HIV exposure involving three women.

He was found not guilty of exposing a fourth woman.

His attorney, Thomas Johnson, argued for probation, claiming none of the women was “seriously injured” since they were not infected. He also said they engaged in “reckless sex”.

Assistant District Attorney Amy McGowan countered that “injury isn’t just physical”, the Lawrence Journal-World reported yesterday.

In convicting Richardson, jurors said they were appalled by how he deceived the women and told them his health problems were from a heart condition.

But Richardson said he was not lying and he did have a “HAART” condition — short for Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy, the name he used in referring to his HIV-treatment drug regimen.

His attorneys argued that he had been taking an extensive series of drugs to lower the viral levels in his blood and that he believed it was physically impossible for the women to contract HIV from him.