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rfmcdonaldThis Canadian Press article provides information on the latest stage in the sad story of Johnson Aziga and his criminal transmission of HIV to his sexual partners.
I blogged about this back in 2005. I still feel that if Aziga did know that he was infected with HIV, and if despite repeated warnings he not only chose to engage in unprotected sex but he chose to lie about his HIV status to his partners, he should certainly be sent to jail. Precedent already exists, in the 1998 R vs. Cuerrier, that the non-disclosure of HIV status in the context of unprotected sex automatically makes said sex act a prosecutable offense, sexual assault or somesuch thing.
What do you think?
The unprecedented murder trial of a man accused of having unprotected sex with numerous women despite knowing he carried the virus that can lead to AIDS began Monday with the prosecution saying he lied to his partners about his health status.
Johnson Aziga, 52, of Hamilton, faces two counts of first-degree murder because two of his girlfriends died of what the Crown says were HIV-related cancers, along with 11 counts of aggravated sexual assault.
"One may immediately think of a violent rape scenario," prosecutor Tim Power told the three-woman, nine-man jury.
"That is not what this case is all about."
Rather, Power said in his opening statement, Aziga put his partners at risk of serious bodily harm without their knowing, even having sex with one woman on the morning of his arrest in August 2003.
Seven of his 11 partners tested positive for HIV, including the two who died.
[. . .]
Power told court that evidence will show Aziga, an immigrant from Uganda, knew in January 1997 he had tested positive for a strain of HIV rarely found in North America, but failed to tell his partners.
Despite several counselling sessions on the risks of transmission and two public health orders that he inform partners about his status and use condoms during sex, he did not do so, Power said.
In addition, when some of the women asked him directly - including one who initially used condoms with him - if he had the human immunodeficiency virus, he said no.
I blogged about this back in 2005. I still feel that if Aziga did know that he was infected with HIV, and if despite repeated warnings he not only chose to engage in unprotected sex but he chose to lie about his HIV status to his partners, he should certainly be sent to jail. Precedent already exists, in the 1998 R vs. Cuerrier, that the non-disclosure of HIV status in the context of unprotected sex automatically makes said sex act a prosecutable offense, sexual assault or somesuch thing.
What do you think?
