Note: We are republishing this story, which originally made the news in September 2013.
A British man convicted of raping a sleeping woman was left in shock after learning that he may have contracted HIV from his victim.
Richard Thomas, 27, was sentenced to five years and four months in prison for the assault, which took place in the woman’s home while she was asleep. According to the BBC, Thomas said he knew the woman was ill but didn’t realize it could be HIV. When he was informed of the potential health risk, he reportedly collapsed in disbelief.
On the night of the attack, Thomas admitted to drinking heavily and using cocaine and ecstasy throughout the evening. He said he had little memory of the assault but believed the woman’s account of the incident.
Police reports revealed that Thomas entered the woman’s home without permission and went into her bedroom, where he assaulted her while she slept. The woman, who had taken a sleeping pill, woke to find Thomas raping her. “She froze, and no words were exchanged,” said prosecutor Harry Pepper. “He pulled up his shorts and left.”
Thomas’s lawyer, Virginia Hayton, explained that while Thomas couldn’t recall the events of the night, he believed the woman’s version of what happened, stating, “If she says I did it, I did it.” It was unclear whether Thomas knew the woman prior to the assault.
Judge Mark Brown, who presided over the case, sentenced Thomas to five years and four months in prison and ordered that he be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life for this “dreadful offense.”
Hayton described Thomas as agonizing over the night’s events. While Thomas has previous convictions, none were for sexual assault or rape.
“[Thomas] is remorseful and cannot understand why he did it, and it is troubling him,” Hayton said. She also pointed out that Thomas has a long history with drugs and alcohol, starting with cannabis use at age 9 and drinking by age 11. Thomas also mentioned being addicted to cocaine and ecstasy by age 13 and receiving treatment for those addictions during his teenage years.
Thomas was set to find out the results of the HIV test shortly after being notified of the possibility. However, it was unclear if Thomas had contracted the disease.
In the meantime, Hayton offered little sympathy for Thomas, stating, “This [HIV test] has been hanging over his head,” according to The Mirror.