Met Police believe predatory HIV-positive rapist may have hundreds of victims, urge testing

A predatory rapist who targeted vulnerable men and infected at least one with HIV may have hundreds of victims, police say, as they urge men who had sex with him to come forward for testing.

Detectives identify 318 men who had contact with the suspect and who now need testing for a potential sexually transmitted disease, though officers acknowledge that more victims may exist. The Metropolitan Police said the figure is based on analysis of Carl's electronic devices and dating-app messages and that a significant number of those contacted by him may have been raped.

Jonathan Carl, 43, a hairdresser from Hornchurch in east London, was jailed this summer after being convicted of raping one man and an assault with intent on another, following his failure to disclose his HIV status. Police say he met up to four men a day for sex at his flat above a chip shop between 2019 and 2023. The victims ranged in age from 17 to 60, and many were unsure of their sexuality or lacked prior sexual experience. Carl used gay dating apps such as Grindr and Scruff to arrange meetings and told some they did not need to use protection because he was allegedly clean negative, though he was not taking medication to prevent onward transmission.

In 2024, two men came forward independently to police — one alleging rape, the other alleging HIV transmission during consensual sex with Carl. He was arrested in January last year, and police seized his phones, which showed contact with around 400 men. Officers traced just over 80 of them. There remain more than 300 people police have not been able to identify, largely because many used anonymised or opaque profile names on the dating apps. Detectives say there are messages that show coercive or forceful circumstances that investigators would classify as rape offences, even if not all victims have yet reported.

Carl was sentenced to 17 years in prison and was served with a 15-year sexual harm prevention order, with conditions including a requirement to notify police within three days of a new sexual partner. Police hope the case will reassure parts of the east London gay community after past criticism of the Met over the investigation into the so‑called Grindr killer Stephen Port, who murdered four men between 2014 and 2015. Port received a whole-life term in 2016, and subsequent inquiries highlighted failures by the Met to conduct basic checks and to share evidence for forensic examination. A coroner later concluded that those failings contributed to the subsequent deaths.

Acting Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Bishop, who led the Carl investigation, urged anyone potentially affected to seek support. She said the priority was to help those impacted and to identify any additional victims, stressing the importance of health checks in a safe, supportive setting. She noted that the Gay community had reason to trust more in the Met’s approach, which involved collaborating with charities and health groups to reach vulnerable individuals and provide testing and support.

Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, who oversees the inquiry, described Carl as a predatory individual and urged victims to come forward without fear of stigma or recrimination. He said there is a belief among investigators that male victims of rape may exist among those contacted by Carl. Basford also emphasized that the police would not pressure people to report allegations, but hoped the broader LGBT community would see the investigative process as a responsible response that protects health and justice.

Statistics from health authorities show that the vast majority of people diagnosed with HIV in England are virally suppressed and cannot pass the virus to a sexual partner. The Met asked potential victims to contact survivors@met.police.uk for confidential information and testing services. The force stressed that those who seek testing will be offered health and support services as part of the ongoing investigation.