Former Welsh rugby union star Gareth Thomas claims that he has been 'told to die' and has been 'spat at in the street' as a result of allegations that he spread HIV.
Thomas, who captained Wales and played 100 times for his country, is being sued by his former partner Ian Baum, who has claimed that Thomas 'failed to take reasonable care' and inform him of his HIV diagnosis before allegedly transmitting the virus to him.
According to a report in the Daily Mail , High Court documents show that Thomas did not reveal to his partner that he was HIV positive. However, the 48-year-old denies transmitting the virus to his partner during their relationship.
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And now Thomas has issued a statement to the media and on his Twitter account following the allegations made against him.
Thomas tweeted: "Since the meritless allegations surfaced, I have endured a challenging torrent of abuse both online and in person.
"I’ve been spat at in the street, called a f*****g AIDS spreader, told I should be locked up, that I should die, and much worse. That being said, I also feel extremely fortunate and I want to thank people for the incredible wave of support they have shown me both personally and professionally at this time. It has been empowering.
"I am proud of who I am. I am far from perfect, but I am also far from the person I’m accused of being. I am comfortable in my position and my defence speaks for itself. I will continue to fight these allegations and proudly continue my advocacy work undeterred with the same passion as always."
Baum has accused the former Wales captain of "concealing" that he was HIV positive and failed "to take reasonable care" before transmitting the virus to him while they were a couple together. Thomas however has denied lying about his HIV positive status to his ex-partner on the basis that Baum never asked about it.
He also claimed that the pair did not have sex together until Mr Baum revealed he was HIV positive in 2014 and Thomas did the same.
He does however admit he was wrong to believe then he could not pass the condition to others, which his lawyers said was "a genuinely held belief at the material time."
The rugby star is also accused of "assault, battery, infliction of intentional harm and negligence," with Baum claiming at least £150,000 in damages, on the basis of "serious physical and psychological injury" and a "resultant loss of life expectancy of approximately six to eight years."
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