A LIBERAL Democrat candidate is considering legal action against a UKIP election hopeful after she wrongly said he contracted HIV on purpose.

Eastleigh candidate Patricia Culligan has apologised after wrongly saying Paul Childs had contracted the virus intentionally in response to a Daily Mail article.

And Mr Childs, who is standing in Liverpool Riverside, is now considering legal action against her after branding the comments “ridiculous” and “ignorant”.

The Daily Mail had published an article about him after Mr Childs revealed he had been living with the condition with three years in “disgust” at comments made by UKIP leader Nigel Farage about HIV during the leaders' TV debate.

Mr Farage sparked controversy by claiming that people can come into Britain from anywhere in the world, get diagnosed with HIV and get the retroviral drugs which cost the UK taxpayer £25,000 per year.

Mr Childs is the second Lib Dem candidate fighting for a seat in the House of Commons to reveal they had HIV.

Adrian Hyyrylainen-Trett, who is running for the party in Vauxhall, central London, reportedly claimed he contracted the virus intentionally as he embarked on a path of self “annihilation”.

Following Mr Child's HIV revelation Ms Culligan then took to Twitter.

She tweeted said: “2nd Lib Dem candidate reveals he deliberately became HIV positive yet free NHS care v costly.”

However Mr Childs had not intentionally contracted the illness.

Ms Culligan, who is standing in the hotly contested Eastleigh constituency, has now posted an apology on Twitter.

On the social media site she described her message as a “misunderstanding”, adding: “It wasn't to do with the particular illness it was to do with the issue of NHS tourism.

“Most of my career has been in social care and I have done a lot of care with people with HIV, so for anyone to say I am anti-gay is preposterous.

“I misunderstood the article, so for that I apologise and I am cross to have done that.”

Speaking to the Daily Echo, Mr Childs said he was talking to Lib Dem headquarters about potential legal action.

He said: “It was just a face-palm situation, I can't believe someone has been so stupid to do something like this again.

“It doesn't really hurt me because I was expecting some issues when it kicked off, but I can't believe people are being so stupid in 2015.

“She only made the apology 24 hours later - it was after the BBC contacted her that the party asked her to take it down.”