Who Is Daryll Rowe? Hairdresser Infected Grindr Sex Partners With HIV

A hair dresser in the United Kingdom is accused of trying to infect his lovers with HIV after meeting them on Grindr, a court heard Thursday. Daryll Rowe, 26, allegedly insisted on unprotected sex with his partners, saying that he was free of the virus. When his partners demanded to use protection, Rowe allegedly tampered with the condom.

Rowe, who is originally from Edinburgh, not only deliberately infected his sexual partners, but he also sent mocking text messages telling them about his HIV positive status and that they could be at risk.

One of the partners received a text saying: “Maybe you have the fever. I came inside you and I have HIV LOL. Oops!”

Rowe is charged with infecting four men with the virus and attempting to infect another six between October 2015 and December 2016.

He was living and working in the Brighton area when he carried out the alleged offenses. Rowe denies all charges against him, according to The Guardian.

Prosecutor Caroline Carberry QC described his alleged crimes as “a cynical and deliberate campaign to infect other men with HIV."

Rowe was diagnosed with HIV in April 2015 after a sexual health clinic contacted him to tell him a former partner had the virus. The prosecutor told the court that doctors found he was coping well with his diagnosis but they were concerned when he refused vaccination for common illnesses to which HIV-positive patients are susceptible, such as pneumonia.

According to the report, Doctors also were concerned when Rowe refused antiretroviral drugs that can slow the development of the virus and make those infected less contagious, jurors heard.

“He was warned he could be prosecuted for passing [HIV] on or even putting someone at risk of contracting HIV from him,” Carberry said. “He told his doctors he was not going to engage in any unprotected sex again, but failed to attend further appointments in Edinburgh and by this time he had moved to Brighton.

“He had no obvious family or other connections in the area, although he had been in communication online on a dating app, Grindr, with a number of men. Through Grindr, the prosecution says, he was in contact with men that he would later go on to infect or attempt to affect with HIV.”

One of the men who had sex with Rowe said he used a condom, but later found the end was ripped off after being discarded in the sink.

In a phone call, Rowe allegedly said: “I ripped the condom. You’re so stupid. You didn’t even know.”

Carberry told the jury Thursday that Rowe met eight men in Sussex and two more in the northeast.

"At least four have contracted the virus, others were lucky not to," she said. "In all cases, it was his intention to infect those men with HIV."

Sussex Police arrested Rowe in February 2016 after two men were diagnosed as HIV positive. Rowe was bailed to an address in Berwick, Northumberland. The case, which is due to last six weeks, continues.

Judge Christine Henson granted all victims the right to lifelong anonymity and also said they have the option to give evidence from behind a screen so they will not have to face Rowe in court.