Sentences for three HIV-positive men convicted of staging sex orgies at which they drugged, raped and injected men with contaminated blood should be increased, an appeal court in The Hague heard Wednesday.

The Netherlands' chief legal officer Martin van Schuijlenburg said Peter Mulder, 50, and Hans Jurgens, 35, should have their nine-year and five-year jail terms increased to 12 and seven years for "having attempted to inflict grievous bodily harm," under the terms of their conviction.

Mulder was also found guilty in November 2008 of rape, as was 49-year-old Wim Dekker, who was sentenced to 18 months in jail, although he was to have been freed as he had already served this period behind bars while awaiting judgment. The chief legal officer said Dekker's sentence should be increased to four years.

The trio were arrested in May 2007 after 14 men -- 12 of whom are HIV-positive or sick with AIDS -- pressed charges. The prosecution believed they could have contracted the virus at the sex parties in the northern city of Groningen.

The victims were sedated with a combination of ecstasy, alcohol and the date rape drug gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), before being raped or injected with HIV-positive blood.

The combination of drugs leaves a victim helpless and often with no memory of what happened. They were also convicted of possession of drugs, and Mulder, a nurse, of stealing injection needles from his workplace.

Court spokeswoman Loes Kiezedrink said at the time of their original conviction that the men "wanted to try and infect other people with HIV. But they were convicted of an attempt only because the expert testimony during the trial was not sufficient to prove that their actions caused the HIV infection" of 12 of the 14 complainants.

Following the initial verdict, the men's victims said they would launch civil action for compensation.

(afp)