A man who left his gay lover to die when he suffered a fit following a bondage sex session, was jailed for thirteen years .
Thomas White flew into a rage shortly before his boyfriend Ashley Gillard was taken ill, because he had admitted he was HIV positive.
When hairdresser Ashley, who was tied up, became ill due to the cocktail of drugs he had taken, White ignored his distress and left him to die in his flat.
He returned to the flat several days later to set fire to it to cover his tracks and incinerate his dead lover's body.
White barricaded the front door with a heavy chest of drawers to frustrate any rescue attempts, disabled the smoke alarm and removed the door handle.
Then as the fire took hold he left the property by climbing 80 ft down a rope from the balcony of the third floor flat.
Passing sentence on him Judge Richard Foster told White
"You and Ashley Gillard engaged in sexual activity during the course of which Ashley was tied up. He had taken two types of drugs - Mephedrone and GHB.
"When the police came to arrest you a few days later what you had to say was captured on body worn audio and visual recorders.
"From this it became clear as to what had actually happened. Ashley Gillard had told you he was HIV positive. Whilst he was tied up he had a fit probably induced by the drugs. You told officers "I just sat there and watched him."The judge then said White had told the officers:
"I didn't untie him because he was fitting and because he told me he'd got HIV. I just though 'F*** you kind of thing, and I didn't really think about it. I should have tried to help him.
He added that when Ashley suffered his fit, White had only thought of himself and he was angry because of the possibility he had been infected with the virus.
"You intentionally did nothing to help a fellow human being in what was a life threatening situation," he told White.
Over that weekend White had the dead man's phone and replied to messages he was getting to make make it appear he was still alive.
He also stole cars, a fork lift truck, and other property, and was seen on CCTV visiting other friends, going to service stations, and even buying the the petrol he needed to start the blaze back at Ashley's flat.
He said the two men had been in a gay relationship, and that night had taken illegal recreational drugs, such as GHB to a very high level.
Thomas White flew into a rage shortly before his boyfriend Ashley Gillard was taken ill, because he had admitted he was HIV positive.
When hairdresser Ashley, who was tied up, became ill due to the cocktail of drugs he had taken, White ignored his distress and left him to die in his flat.
He returned to the flat several days later to set fire to it to cover his tracks and incinerate his dead lover's body.
White barricaded the front door with a heavy chest of drawers to frustrate any rescue attempts, disabled the smoke alarm and removed the door handle.
Then as the fire took hold he left the property by climbing 80 ft down a rope from the balcony of the third floor flat.
Passing sentence on him Judge Richard Foster told White
"You and Ashley Gillard engaged in sexual activity during the course of which Ashley was tied up. He had taken two types of drugs - Mephedrone and GHB.
"When the police came to arrest you a few days later what you had to say was captured on body worn audio and visual recorders.
"From this it became clear as to what had actually happened. Ashley Gillard had told you he was HIV positive. Whilst he was tied up he had a fit probably induced by the drugs. You told officers "I just sat there and watched him."The judge then said White had told the officers:
"I didn't untie him because he was fitting and because he told me he'd got HIV. I just though 'F*** you kind of thing, and I didn't really think about it. I should have tried to help him.
He added that when Ashley suffered his fit, White had only thought of himself and he was angry because of the possibility he had been infected with the virus.
"You intentionally did nothing to help a fellow human being in what was a life threatening situation," he told White.
Over that weekend White had the dead man's phone and replied to messages he was getting to make make it appear he was still alive.
He also stole cars, a fork lift truck, and other property, and was seen on CCTV visiting other friends, going to service stations, and even buying the the petrol he needed to start the blaze back at Ashley's flat.
He said the two men had been in a gay relationship, and that night had taken illegal recreational drugs, such as GHB to a very high level.
Mr. Smith said: "The defendant was furious and got into a rage and turned the flat upside down trying to find medications that would confirm what he had been told.
"He was later to tell his brother that he knew his friend needed medical attention but he did not help him, and put a duvet over him to shut him up. He said at that moment he hated him and wished him gone."
After starting the fire by pouring petrol on curtains and cushions, he went to his mother's home and confessed to his brother and later repeated his account to his mother and then his father, who lived nearby.
Mirror UK
