Man who infected lovers with HIV jailed

A man who was convicted of "biological" grievous bodily harm for knowingly infecting two women with HIV was jailed for eight years yesterday.

Mohammed Dica, 38, was diagnosed with HIV in 1996, but went on to "coldly and callously" trick two women into having unprotected sex with him. The divorcee and a woman with two children could die from Aids within 10 years.

Dica, of Mitcham in south London, is thought not to have long to live. He showed no reaction as Judge Nicholas Philpot, at the Inner London Crown Court, told him his behaviour was "despicable" and that he had shown no remorse. The judge said: "In each case you abused a loving relationship, loving on one side at any rate, and inflicted GBH. Each woman is now infected with an incurable disease, has suffered a florid effect of the infection and manages to control her life but only with very frequent and heavy medication and that on a permanent basis."

Last month the former solicitors' clerk became the first person to be found guilty of inflicting "biological" grievous bodily harm.It was the first successful prosecution for passing on a sexually transmitted disease in England and Wales for 137 years.

Dica's first victim, a 37-year-old who cannot be named, met him in 1997 after her marriage collapsed and he offered support. She agreed to unsafe sex after he assured her he had had a vasectomy. The woman was diagnosed with HIV in 1998.

Dica, who is married with three children, met his second victim in 2000 at an office party. Identified only as Deborah, she left her boyfriend of 18 years for Dica, who deceived her into thinking he was a lawyer and Gulf war veteran.

She agreed to unprotected sex after he said he had difficulty using condoms.

Outside court, Detective Sergeant Jo Goodall appealed to other women who might have been infected by Dica to contact the police.