American DJ Imprisoned for 10 Years

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) - A German court sentenced an American disc jockey to 10 years in prison for rape and infecting at least four women with the AIDS virus.

Stuttgart Judge Stefan Eckert ruled Wednesday that Stoney Berly Gibbs, 36, had acted irresponsibly by sleeping with several women without using a condom, although he knew that he was carrying HIV .

The court found him guilty on one count of rape, four counts of bodily harm and 20 of attempted bodily harm.

Details about the rape case were not released in accordance with German laws meant to shield victims from publicity.

Eckert said Gibbs, who had made a name for himself in the club scene in the southern German city, knew he carried the virus when he arrived in Germany in 1999. His hometown was not given.

Gibbs rejected the charges against him. Prosecutors had sought a 12-year sentence.

One of the young women, a 17-year-old, brought the case before the court when she tested positive for HIV and traced it to Gibbs. He was arrested in November.

Investigators found the names of several other women through Gibbs' mobile phone.

Most of the trial was closed to the public in an effort to protect the identities of the women involved.