Nova Scotia's highest court has overturned the sexual-assault convictions of an HIV-positive former boxer who slept with two women, saying their consent wasn't diminished by the man not disclosing his condition.
Claude Thompson was found guilty of sexual-assault causing bodily harm of two women in Antigonish, N.S., and sentenced to 30 months in jail.
In a written ruling released Thursday, the Appeal Court of Nova Scotia acquitted him.
"The sole issue in this case is whether psychological harm said to have been caused by non-disclosure of HIV status vitiates consent to sexual activity. The short answer is no, it does not," Justice Duncan Beveridge wrote for the three-judge panel.
The appeal court quoted one expert who said HIV is no longer lethal, and another who said it's now much easier to manage than diabetes. Read more via Globe and Mail