KEY POINTS:
A man who infected a 14-year-old girl with Hepatitis C by injecting her with a syringe was today jailed.
Sean Leslie Riley had been employed to do renovations at the girl's home in December, 2005.
The Crown alleged he had given the girl a drink which made her feel dizzy before injecting himself, then the girl, telling her it was Ritalin.
The victim said she was injected several more times in her hand after being taken to a shed on another property in Hastings.
Riley, 28, of Hastings, appeared for sentence today in the High Court at Napier after being convicted in June of injuring the teenager, with reckless disregard for her safety, by infecting her with Hepatitis C.
He was sentenced to two years and nine months in jail.
A jury found him not guilty on two charges of sexual violation and one of threatening to kill.
His counsel, Eric Forster, told Justice Denis Clifford that his client had no relative history of criminality although earlier this year he was convicted of discharging an air pistol in a park.
His client continued to be seriously ill with Hepatitis C and Crohne's Disease while on remand in prison and had also been the target of a physical attack.
Justice Clifford said the victim's age and both the physical and emotional impact of contracting Hepatitis C were aggravating factors.
A victim impact report revealed the girl had experienced significant ongoing effects including weight loss, hair loss and depression.
While a specialist's report indicated the victim had finished her treatment and now had normal liver functions, there was still a 20 per cent chance she would not be cured of the disease.
- NZPA
