Man cleared of deliberate HIV infection

A former sex worker has been cleared of deliberately infecting another man with HIV but will be punished for causing him grievous harm.

A Brisbane District Court jury found HIV-positive man Rhys Edwin Martin, 22, not guilty of committing a malicious act with intent towards a 59-year-old man, whom he had unprotected sex with in 2012.

Martin's three-day trial heard he met the victim and the victim's partner online and went to their north Brisbane unit for a "random hook-up" in July 2012.

The former sex worker assured both men he was HIV negative before they had unprotected sex a number of times over the following months, the court heard.

When the couple grew suspicious and discovered the truth, blood tests revealed one of the men had contracted the virus.

Martin pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of grievous bodily harm at the start of the trial but prosecutors rejected the plea.

They alleged it was a deliberate act and Martin had boasted about wanting to give the disease to married men.

However, the jury rejected the accusation on Wednesday after three hours of deliberation.

Martin is due to be sentenced at a date to be fixed.