An HIV-positive pop star broke down in tears yesterday after a German court handed her a two-year suspended sentence for infecting a former sex partner with the virus.

The court in Darmstadt, Germany, convicted 28-year-old Nadja Benaissa, a member of girl group No Angels, on one count of grievous bodily harm and two counts of attempted bodily harm.

Presiding judge Dennis Wacker also ordered her to do 300 hours of community service with people infected with HIV, saying the sentence was relatively light because she had “learned to be responsible and deal with her illness.”

The glamorous half-Moroccan star sighed deeply with relief when the verdict was read out and shortly afterwards began to sob.

The singer had confessed to having unprotected sex and keeping her virus secret but denied intending to infect anyone during a trial that has sparked a media frenzy in Germany.

She had previously made an emotional apology during closing arguments, telling the court: “I am sorry from the bottom of my heart. I would love to turn back the clock, but I can’t.”

She said she had made an “enormous mistake.”

The charges against Ms Benaissa could have led to up to 10 years behind bars, but both the prosecutors and the defence argued for a suspended sentence as she had admitted to the crime and said sorry.

Mr Wacker said the sentence was relatively light because Ms Benaissa was “aware of the mistakes she made and wanted to take responsibility for them.” The passing-on of the virus was “not intentional,” he ruled.

During the trial, medical experts determined she had almost certainly infected one of her ex-boyfriends with the HIV virus, which leads to AIDS, as they both had a strain of the virus that is relatively rare in Germany.