STOCKHOLM, Feb 1, 2008 (AFP) - A Swedish court on Friday sentenced a 32-year-old HIV-positive Briton to 14 years in prison for having unprotected sex with 16 young girls and infecting two of them with the virus that causes AIDS.
The man, Christer Merrill Aggett, who knew he was infected with HIV, was found guilty of aggravated sexual abuse of minors, and, in the case of the two girls infected, aggravated assault, according to the Solna district court's verdict, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.
"He purposely chose girls who were underage," the court said, according to Swedish news agency TT. The victims were aged betwen 12 and 14.
Aggett, who has lived in Sweden for most of his life, met the girls on Internet chat rooms.
Between 2003 and 2006, he was reportedly in contact with more than 100 young girls, but the exact number with whom he had sexual relations is not known, TT said.
Aggett was ordered to pay damages of 2.7 million kronor (287,000 euros, 425,000 dollars) to the 16 victims, including 850,000 kronor (90,000 euros, 133,000 dollars) to each of the two girls infected with HIV.
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