Gareth Thomas settles case with ex over HIV transmission accusation

Gareth Thomas has settled a court case with an ex-partner who accused the former Wales rugby union captain of “deceptively” transmitting HIV to him.

Ian Baum sued Thomas in the high court for allegedly hiding his HIV status and “failing to take reasonable care” not to pass the virus on.

Thomas will pay £75,000 plus costs but said he had not admitted liability by settling, adding that he maintained his innocence “in all the meritless allegations”.

Baum, a former police constable who was in a relationship with Thomas between 2013 and 2016, claimed he was not HIV positive when they got together, court papers said.

The documents said Baum noticed the sportsman was taking pills from bottles that had the labels ripped off them but was told they were multivitamins. He claimed he found out the pills were an HIV antiviral medication called GSK1 after searching for them online.

He said he “immediately” went to get a rapid HIV test and was “devastated” and “went into shock” when he found out he was positive.

Lawyers for Baum alleged in the court documents: “By transmitting HIV to the claimant, the defendant has caused him serious physical and psychological injury.

“That information, had it become publicly known, would have been extremely damaging to the defendant’s public reputation as a person who had spoken out about his homosexuality and LGBTQ issues.

“Since that time the defendant has portrayed himself as a spokesperson for LGBT issues without ever revealing that he deceptively transmitted HIV to the claimant in 2014. The defendant knowingly lied to the claimant about his HIV status and had coerced the claimant into having unprotected sexual intercourse when he knew that by doing so he was putting the claimant at risk of