A 36-year-old truck driver from Ancona in Italy has been arrested for allegedly passing on HIV to women via unprotected sexual intercourse.
A spokesman for police in Ancona said today that 35-year-old Claudio Pinti had been arrested two days earlier in Italy. It is believed that the suspect who traveled all over Italy for work might have consciously passed on the deadly virus to more than 200 sexual partners.
Despite having been diagnosed for at least 11 years, he did not take precautions nor warn his partners about his condition, Ancona police said in a written statement. When officers apprehended him, Mr Pinti declared himself a “negationist’” on the existence of HIV, police said.
In a press conference on Wednesday, police said Mr Pinti was a regular user of dating websites and might have infected more than 200 people. He was caught after one of his most recent partners checked herself into a hospital after feeling ill and discovered she had contracted the virus.
Authorities urged potential victims to contact police, and in a breach of usual practice, released a picture of the suspect so people who could recognize him. The police spokesman said several calls have come in and are being verified.