A 50-year-old west Suffolk man who had sex with a woman without telling her he had a sexually transmitted infection has been given a suspended prison sentence. 

Sentencing Mark Drury, Judge Emma Peters said it was clear that he hadn’t told the victim he had the genital herpes virus when they had consensual sex.

“Even if you didn’t have any active symptoms you knew you could nonetheless pass it on,” said the judge.

Drury of Maynewater Square, Bury St Edmunds, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm on the victim in 2021.

He was given a 10-month prison sentence suspended for two years, a 10-day rehabilitation activity requirement and ordered to do 180 hours of unpaid work.

He was also ordered to pay £150 costs.

Daniel Setter, prosecuting at Ipswich Crown Court said that several days after having sex with Drury the woman had unpleasant symptoms and went to see her doctor who diagnosed genital herpes.

He said Drury had been diagnosed with the incurable infection in 2006 and had been advised about the risk of passing it on even if he didn’t have any symptoms.

In a statement read to the court the victim described the devastating impact that being diagnosed with the sexually transmitted infection had had on her life.

She said she’d had suicidal thoughts, had “zero” self-confidence and no longer felt attractive.

She said that anyone who’d been interested in having a relationship with her had been put off when she told them she had the virus.

Richard Tinkler for Drury said his client had no previous convictions and was ashamed and remorseful.

He accepted that Drury had been warned that he could pass on the virus even if he wasn’t experiencing any symptoms.

He said that after being diagnosed with the virus Drury had “naively and complacently” put it to the back of his mind after going eight years without any symptoms.