PnP w/ GrimReaper
A Coburg, Australian man described by a judge as a "grim reaper" has been sentenced to more than 18 years' jail for deliberately trying to infect others with HIV, following the first prosecution of its type in Victoria, Australia. Michael John Neal, 50, pursued his "deviant sexual practices" despite a series of warnings from Victoria's Health Department over five years that he practise safe sex, reports The Age.
Judge Parsons said Neal, who was diagnosed HIV positive in 2000, was motivated to infect others with the virus to create a larger pool of sexual partners with whom he could have unprotected sex. Judge Parsons said Neal had shown no remorse and had failed to apologise to his victims for the great hurt he had inflicted upon them. "You sought to become your own version of the grim reaper," he said.
He said Neal needed to accept his obligation to provide "full, proper and timely notification" of his HIV status. "Until such time the community, and particularly the gay community, needs protection from you."
A jury found Neal guilty of 15 charges related to 11 victims, after a two-month trial last year. They included eight of attempting to infect a person with HIV. Neal pleaded guilty to 11 other counts, including producing and possessing child pornography, and trafficking methylamphetamine.
He met his victims on the internet or at gay beats or sex venues, and either denied or failed to disclose his HIV status. The case shone a spotlight on the State Government's approach to monitoring and containing the spread of HIV and ultimately led to the sacking of Victoria's chief health officer, Dr Robert Hall.
Judge Parsons said Neal continued offending until his arrest in 2006 and had made no effort since to grapple with his "aberrant sexual proclivities", particularly with relation to child pornography. Neal has been isolated within the prison system. He told a psychiatrist in 2004 there was a dark side to him that enjoyed infecting people with HIV, and his sex life was none of the Health Department's business. He continued to have unprotected sex despite the department serving him with three letters and four orders under the Health Act between November 2001 and April 2006.
Restrictions the Health Department had placed on Neal's movements were relaxed after he wrote to the chief health officer, Robert Hall, in 2005 telling him that his viral loads were undetectable and he was not able to pass on HIV. Then health minister Bronwyn Pike stood down Dr Hall after it emerged he had not acted despite knowing Neal posed a serious risk to public health, and had ignored advice from an expert advisory panel. Outside court, Detective Sergeant Eric Harbis, of the sexual crimes squad, said Neal had played a game of Russian roulette with his victims, whom he commended for their courage in coming forward.
Judge Parsons sentenced Neal to 18 years and nine months' jail, and ordered him to serve 13 years and nine months before being eligible for parole.
Sweden will lift its ban on gay blood donors as of March 1, 2010, but will restrict donations to gay men who have not had sex with a man for a year, national health authorities said Tuesday.
"Men who have had sex with men will no longer be permanently barred from donating blood," the National Board of Health and Welfare said in a statement released on World AIDS Day.
Sexual orientation will no longer determine whether a person can give blood. Instead, people who have engaged in "sexually risky behaviour" can be barred as donors for one year.
"That group includes men who have sex with men," the agency said.
Donors have to fill in a detailed form about their health, including their sexual history, before being approved as donors. All donated blood is then tested before being used, a spokeswoman for the health board, Monica Axelsson, said.
Homosexuals are considered to be a group at higher risk of having blood contaminated with sexually-transmitted diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis.
According to Axelsson, a number of other countries in Europe have already lifted bans on gay blood donors.
Sweden will lift its ban on gay blood donors as of March 1, 2010, but will restrict donations to gay men who have not had sex with a man for a year, national health authorities said Tuesday.
"Men who have had sex with men will no longer be permanently barred from donating blood," the National Board of Health and Welfare said in a statement released on World AIDS Day.
Sexual orientation will no longer determine whether a person can give blood. Instead, people who have engaged in "sexually risky behaviour" can be barred as donors for one year.
"That group includes men who have sex with men," the agency said.
Donors have to fill in a detailed form about their health, including their sexual history, before being approved as donors. All donated blood is then tested before being used, a spokeswoman for the health board, Monica Axelsson, said.
Homosexuals are considered to be a group at higher risk of having blood contaminated with sexually-transmitted diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis.
According to Axelsson, a number of other countries in Europe have already lifted bans on gay blood donors.
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A first-of-its-kind study looking at HIV infection rates found that half of gay men in Chicago who have HIV did not know they were infected, and two-thirds of infected black men were unaware. In addition, infection rates for black men were more than twice the rates for whites and Hispanics.
6 feet tall and god knows how big around. These dick mascots will grace San Francisco at parades, street fairs and other public events around the city over the coming year. Actually, there are three of them, and they'll make their reappearance at noon Friday at the corner of Castro and Market. The characters will appear with a fourth, much-less-attractive buddy, Phil the Syphilis Sore.
