More than 17 years for man who murdered woman thinking she infected him with HIV/AIDS - Jamaica Gleaner

Justice Brian Cottle sentenced Desron Roberts, who had been on remand for nearly four years awaiting trial, to a further 17 years, five months and 11 days in prison.

The court heard that Roberts, who was then 22, had a sexual relationship with Bailey, 30, whose house he frequented.

On July 16, 2018, Bailey told Roberts that she was HIV positive and two days later, he went to see a doctor, who advised him to take a post-exposure treatment for HIV and to get tested.

Bailey told Roberts that she was not afraid to die and he put the knife down and began to strangle her.

Bailey attempted to reach for the knife but was unsuccessful and Roberts continued to try to strangle her.

Unsatisfied with his attempts to end Bailey's life that way, Roberts took up the knife and began to stab Bailey, who held on to him begging for her life.

In sentencing Roberts, Justice Cottle said he had no need to depart from the guidelines regarding the aims of criminal punishment, namely retribution, deterrence, prevention, rehabilitation and that the court must follow the sentencing guidelines, unless they lead to injustice in a particular case

Justice Cottle said further that the court can impose on an adult convicted of murder, a sentence of death, a whole life sentence or a determinate sentence

He said there was a significant degree of premeditation involved in the killing, noting that Roberts took the knife with him to the scene and told the victim that he had come to kill her

Justice Cottle said that he found that Roberts did not have the coping skills or social support network to help him to deal with the consequences of having contracted HIV and the associated social stigma.