An Australian has been convicted on the charges of deliberately transmitting the HIV virus to his partner.
The District Court in Brisbane, Australia, has convicted 37-year-old Mark Kenneth Reid for having intentionally transmitted the HIV virus to his gay partner through unprotected sex. Reid had been HIV positive since 1987, but he had denied this to his partner. Reid has been sentenced to 10 year’s imprisonment by the court. The name of the 42-year-old victim has not been revealed.
Kenneth Reid contended that he had informed his partner of his HIV status. The victim had lost his prospects of advancement at his place of work and also in life because of Reid, the court ruled. The victim had tested positive for HIV within a couple of months after having unprotected sex with Reid. The prosecution held that the disease was used as a weapon by Reid, wherein there is no self-defense. This is the first conviction of its kind in Queensland.
