Rugby star Gareth Thomas sued after ex-partner gets HIV

Ian Baum has accused the former Wales rugby captain of "deceptively" transmitting HIV to him

Former Wales and British and Irish Lions captain Gareth Thomas has been accused of "deceptively" transmitting HIV to a previous partner, according to High Court legal papers.

Ian Baum has alleged Mr Thomas hid his HIV status, "failing to take reasonable care" to ensure he did not pass it on.

Mr Baum is suing the TV personality for £150,000.

Mr Thomas' legal team has been asked to comment, but it is understood that he is strongly contesting the claim.

In court papers, Mr Baum claimed he had a relationship with him between 2013 and 2016 and that he was HIV negative when the relationship began.

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It is alleged he found out Mr Thomas had HIV when he saw a tablet marked GSK1.

"On googling the GSK1 pill, the claimant discovered that the defendant was taking antiviral HIV medication," the documents said.

Mr Baum then "immediately" made an appointment for a HIV test. The court papers state that when he found out he was positive for the virus, he was left "devastated".

'Coercive and controlling behaviour'

Gareth Thomas disclosed he was HIV positive in 2019

It is claimed he called Mr Thomas for an explanation and according to the documents, Mr Thomas was "very repentant and apologetic".

"The defendant pleaded with him to keep his HIV status secret, the claimant agreed and the relationship continued," it added.

What is HIV?

• HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus - the immunodeficiency is the weakening of the immune system by the virus

• If untreated it can lead to late-stage HIV or Aids, the name for a collection of illnesses caused by the virus

• Medication helping those with HIV to live long, healthy lives has been available for decades

• Modern medication reduces the viral load to undetectable levels, meaning someone can't pass on HIV and their health is protected

• There were more than 106,000 people living with HIV in the UK in 2020

Sources: Terrence Higgins Trust and NHS

Mr Baum claims for the remainder of the relationship Mr Thomas used coercive and controlling behaviour towards him in order to prevent his HIV status becoming known.

In the documents, he said the defendant caused him "serious physical and psychological injury".

He also claimed Mr Thomas lied to him about his HIV status.

It is alleged Mr Thomas, also know as Alfie, "portrayed himself as a spokesperson for HIV without ever disclosing that he deceptively transmitted HIV to the claimant in 2014".

In 2020, Thomas was given a special prize at Wales' St David Awards for campaigning against HIV stigma, one year after publicly revealing he had the virus.

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