GOLD COAST, Australia, April 18 (UPI) -- An Australian judge sentenced a man Thursday to 9 1/2 years in prison for deliberately infecting a woman with HIV, court officials said.
The jury deliberated for two hours Thursday before finding Godfrey Zaburoni, 34, guilty of malicious intent to transmit a serious disease.
The verdict and sentence came after a four-day trial, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. said.
Zaburoni, a Zimbabwean-born circus performer, knew he had HIV but lied to the victim and then had sex with her over a two-year period, the ABC reported.
The victim later tested positive for HIV.
She read a statement to the court Thursday and said she has lost friends, needs medication and feels shame and embarrassment as a result of the disease.
Zaburoni will likely be deported to Zimbabwe when he is released from prison, the ABC reported.
