partner about his condition has had his prison term slashed by the Court of Appeal.

Ronald Mapp, 37, of Cedar Avenue, Pembroke, was sent to jail for ten years in March after admitting that he had sex with a 43-year-old woman, even though he knew he carried the virus that leads to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

But the father of five's lawyer, Victoria Pearman, took the case to the Court of Appeal earlier this month, arguing that the sentence was "manifestly harsh and excessive''.

And yesterday the Court ruled in favour of Mapp, agreeing to reduce his sentence to six years.

The court ruled that there was no proof that Mapp had ever put his partner at risk by not wearing a condom whenever the couple had sex. His partner, who always consented to sex, has so far not tested positive for the virus.