Australia is sending another of its HIVers to prison.
I've previously highlighted the case of Michael Neal in Usenet article
<553.1216831161.20080723@hiv-poz.co.uk>, see
<http://groups.google.com/group/misc.health.aids/msg/1552b0f34a5f322e>.
A jury has found him guilty of 15 of the charges against him.
<http://news.theage.com.au/national/vic-man-guilty-of-trying-to-spread-hiv-20080731-3ntr.html>:
----- Begin Quote -----
An HIV positive Melbourne man accused of arranging "conversion
parties" and having unprotected sex at gay venues has been found
guilty of trying to infect people with the deadly virus.
A County Court jury took more than three days to find Michael Neal,
49, guilty on 15 counts including two of rape and eight of trying to
infect another person with HIV.
He was cleared on 11 counts, including two of causing people to be
infected.
[...]
The jury heard Neal organised "conversion parties" where some people
were not aware they were being infected and had unsafe sex at gay
venues and beats without revealing he had HIV.
It heard Neal bragged about infecting 75 people and told one person he
"gets off" on it.
Defence lawyer George Georgiou denied Neal infected or intended to
infect others and that he acted recklessly.
He argued Neal did not believe he was infectious because the amount of
virus in his system was low.
The Victorian Department of Human Services (DHS) opened a file on Neal
in 2001 and placed restrictions on him that barred him from gay sex
venues and having unprotected sex.
Former DHS chief health officer Dr Robert Hall told the jury that four
orders were placed on Neal between 2004 to 2006 to stop him spreading
the virus.
But a condition that Neal report daily to authorities was removed
after he told them the amount of virus in his system was undetectable.
Neal grew increasingly hostile at the department's intervention, at
one point telling them they should stop interfering in his life and
take their concerns to the police.
His case contributed to Victorian Health Minister Bronwyn Pike's
decision last year to sack Dr Hall, saying he should have told her
office about Neal sooner.
Neal had pleaded not guilty to 34 charges.
He was also found guilty of one count of administering a drug for the
purposes of sexual penetration, three of reckless conduct endangering
person and one of procuring sexual penetration by fraud.
He was found not guilty of two counts of causing another person to be
infected, six counts of trying to cause another person to be infected
and three of reckless conduct endangering a person.
He will be sentenced at a later date.
----- End Quote -----
The charges are a bit of a joke. Take this one, for example:
"procuring sexual penetration by fraud." That's a new one on me.
I encourage gift-givers to come to the UK, where they can be as
generous as they like without having to worry about legal
difficulties.
--
<http://www.hiv-poz.co.uk/>
4,948 days and counting...
