ITV blood scandal drama needs to be shown faithfully - victim

A man from North Yorkshire whose life was changed by the infected blood scandal hopes an ITV drama will portray the issue "faithfully".

Richard Warwick, 59, was given blood products to treat his haemophilia while a pupil at Treloar's school for disabled children, in Hampshire.

He later found out he was infected with hepatitis B and had contracted HIV.

ITV will make a drama about the scandal after the impact of its series about the Post Office Horizon scandal.

It will focus on how haemophiliacs and those with other blood disorders were "contaminated with tainted blood infecting them with HIV and Hepatitis C" during the 1970s and 1980s, the broadcaster said.

Mr Warwick, who lives near Malton and is a member of the Tainted Blood campaign group, said the creators needed to ensure their story remained faithful to the facts and experiences of those caught up.

"And if they do, it will tell a very compelling and harrowing story of what we've had to endure for so long," he said.

Mr Warwick discovered he had contracted HIV in 1988, a year before his wife became pregnant.

However, they were advised not to continue with the pregnancy because of the risk that the child could be infected.

Mr Warwick said he had the "greatest confidence" in writer of the series, Peter Moffat, who has won two Baftas for BBC series Criminal Justice and also created the screenplay for the upcoming Netflix film Scoop, about the Duke of York's disastrous Newsnight interview.

Mr Moffat said it had been "a great privilege to meet those infected and affected and to learn about what they have been through".

"The victims of this scandal have been let down again and again by the state - I hope in some small way this drama can help their voices be heard," he said.

Des Collins, senior partner of Collins Solicitors, which represents 1,500 victims and their families, also welcomed the series.

"We have long been approached by documentary-makers but believe this particular series will refocus public attention on the tragedy of the infected blood scandal," he said.

The infected blood scandal has previously been called the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS.

It is thought that tens of thousands were infected with HIV and hepatitis between 1970 and 1991 after they were given a contaminated drug or blood transfusion.

The Infected Blood Inquiry, which started in 2018, has reviewed thousands of documents and heard testimony from 370 witnesses, with its final report set to be released in May.

It has already made its final recommendations for compensation for victims and their loved ones.

When Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appeared before the inquiry last year, he vowed to pay compensation "as swiftly as possible".

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