Rapist may have hundreds of victims, Met says

"Det Supt Lewis Basford told the BBC: "More alarming was the message contents which highlighted to us that there were victim-survivors out there of rape where he had met individuals and subsequently they were messaging him and challenging him on some of the acts that we would define as rape." At least 82 men have been identified and fast-tracked into the NHS for a screening after being informed of Carl's health status, according to the Met."

"He said: "It made me feel like I didn't matter, it made me feel less than human. "The main reason I came forward to police, is because I wanted to stop this from happening to anyone else." Another said it "has damaged me from having any sort of romantic relationship in the future, due to people's overall thoughts on HIV"."

Jonathan Carl, 42, from Hornchurch, was jailed for 17 years after convictions for rape and causing grievous bodily harm via reckless HIV transmission. Two victims who had met socially compared experiences and reported Carl at Romford police station, prompting an investigation. Officers recovered more than 400 digital contacts aged 17 to 60 from gay dating apps including Grindr and Scruff over four years. Messages suggested other victim-survivors had challenged acts investigators classify as rape. At least 82 men were identified and fast-tracked for NHS screening after being informed of Carl's health status. Victims reported feelings of powerlessness, shame and long-term relationship impact.

Read at www.bbc.com