Former Canadian Football League player receives lengthy prison sentence

A sweeping apology from a former Saskatchewan Roughriders football player who exposed two lovers to HIV wasn't enough to save him from a lengthy prison sentence.
Judge Ken Bellerose of Saskatchewan provincial court in Regina sentenced Trevis Smith to 5½ years in prison on Monday after having previously convicted him for aggravated sexual assault.
"As far as I'm concerned, Mr. Smith was very deceitful and very dishonest,'' he said.
"I'm satisfied he displayed, throughout this whole time -- from when he learned he had HIV in November of 2003 until the time of his arrest in October 2005 -- a very indifferent attitude with respect to the expectations that the law required on his part to basically come clean with respect to his sexual partners.''
Before Bellerose passed sentence, Smith had his say.
"For this, I apologize to this province and to the team that I represented the last seven years,'' he said from the prisoner's box.
"I also want to apologize to the women that I've been involved with during this time and my wife for just my actions and I ask that she'd forgive me for me committing adultery.
"I just want to say sorry for everything.''
Smith's wife Tamika cried during the apology. Smith himself showed no emotion.
Neither the wife nor Clemente Monterosso, Smith's lawyer, would comment. An appeal of the conviction has already been filed.
Monterosso had said that his client should receive a reduced sentence because the police revealed Smith's HIV status upon his arrest.
Bail violations
Bellerose also sentenced Smith to an additional six months in prison for various bail violations related to the case.
Before the sentencing hearing began Monday, the former CFL player pleaded guilty to two bail violations. In one case, Crown counsel told the provincial court judge that Smith "made out" with a woman after he had been released on bail on the condition he not be alone with females over 14.
In the other incident, Burge said Smith told his bail supervisor that he was going to be working, while he was actually arranging to meet up with one of his girlfriends.
Crown prosecutor Bill Burge asked the judge to give Smith a 10-year sentence.
"This goes beyond recklessness," he said. "It's the deliberation that really aggravates this."
The case was "among the worst of the worst," Burge said. He also argued that Smith has showed no remorse for his actions.
"Mr. Smith will continue to put females at risk as long as he has the opportunity," Burge said.
At Smith's trial, Bellerose heard from a Regina woman and another woman from B.C., who said he had unprotected sex with them and denied having the virus that causes AIDS.
Smith testified that he didn't have sex with the Regina woman after he found out about his condition and that he told the woman from B.C. about his infection and then always used a condom.