Richard Thomas, 27, was sentenced to five years and four months in prison for rap i ng a sleeping woman in her home. The victim, who had taken a sleeping pill, awoke to find Thomas assaulting her. Thomas, who had been drinking and using dr ugs, claimed he couldn’t recall the a ttack, but accepted her account.Thomas,
collapsed, after learning he might have contracted HIV from the victim, whom he knew was ill but unaware had the virus. He awaited test results at sentencing. Judge Mark Brown called it a “dreadful offense,” adding Thomas to the S*x Offenders Register for life. His lawyer said, “It’s his own fault.”Note: we are republishing this story, which originally made the news in September 2013.