AN African asylum seeker living in the North-East last night became one of the first people in the country to be jailed for knowingly infecting women with HIV.

Feston Konzani, who came to Middlesbrough from Malawi in 1998, was sentenced to ten years after Teesside Crown Court heard he had sex with three women, but kept his illness a secret.

The 28-year-old musician had admitted infecting them with the virus but denied causing them grievous bodily harm between November 2000 and 2003.

Konzani was last night branded a sexual predator and a danger to women.

Detective Sergeant Ted Allen, who led the investigation, said: "No matter what the outcome of this case, it is a tragedy for the women involved and our thoughts must be with them and their families.

"Their lives have been torn apart and no one can fully understand how they feel.

"They have been caught by a sexual predator who has lied and inflicted upon them an injury which will affect them for the rest of their days.

"There is no doubt this man is a danger to women. His sentence will keep him off the streets for some time and hopefully he will be permanently expelled from this country."

Konzani, who kept his head bowed in the dock and showed no emotion, will be deported back to Africa after he has completed his jail term.

The court heard he had exhausted all his asylum applications to remain in England.

The Recorder of Middlesbrough, Judge Peter Fox, told Konzani he had conned the women and in the case of a Miss X had taken advantage of her love for him.

He said: "The GBH which you inflicted falls into the category of the very worst sort.

"For not only are the lives of these young women to be very substantially curtailed they, from the moment of learning of the infection you passed to them, have suffered first psychologically with dreadful shock and then with growing apprehension."

The judge added: "You knew all along you had the infection and you know you should have told them. Whether it was your pride or lust which stood in the way, it matters not."

The jury took less than three hours to convict Konzani unanimously on the three charges.

His victims included a 15-year-old virgin whom he kept captive in his Middlesbrough home, a 27-year-old African student who had a child by him and a 26-year-old voluntary worker from Tyneside known as Miss W.

The court heard the African student, known as Miss X, was standing by Konzani despite him having infected her with the virus.

In a letter read out in court she professed her love for him. One extract read: "I love you and cherish every little thing you do for me.

"I am still there for you and together we will stand strong. I am always yours."

Judge Fox said Konzani had conned her and took advantage of her love.

He said Miss W was "one of those wonderful young people who gave themselves to charity" and who had wanted to help African people with HIV such as Konzani.

"You conned her as well and she will leave behind a young child, said the judge.

The judge had earlier directed a charge of inflicting GBH on a 37-year-old woman from Middlesbrough be returned not guilty because Konzani had not discovered he had HIV until November 2000 and their relationship began in 1999.

He then told Konzani he hoped the sentence would act as a deterrent to any other HIV sufferers who had unprotected sex.

He said: "I have a public duty to include in the sentence a clear message that those who suffer your infection must disclose it to their sexual partners and they must take precautions if sexual intercourse is to occur."

The jury had heard Konzani came to Britain with the help of a British diplomat with whom he had an illicit gay affair in Malawi