07/31/2008
Australian Jury Finds Man Guilty of Deliberately Spreading HIV
An Australian man yesterday was convicted of deliberately spreading HIV.
"Michael John Neal, 49, was found guilty today of 15 charges, including attempting to infect another person with HIV, rape and procuring sexual penetration by fraud. The County Court jury returned their verdict this afternoon after four days of deliberations which also cleared Neal of 11 charges that alleged he had intentionally infected two men with the virus. The court heard he was diagnosed as HIV positive in June 2000. During a six-week trial the court was told Neal organised 'conversion' sex parties and wore a genital piercing to make it easier to transmit the disease...In his opening address to the trial, prosecutor Mark Rochford said Neal had bragged about infecting 75 people and told one of his partners he 'gets off' on infecting people."
ABC reports: "The court heard Neal met his victims at public toilets, at an Abottsford hotel, and through a gay website."
Despite the acquittals, prosecutors said they were pleased with the verdict: "There would be a degree of disappointment to some extent, but overall we are very happy with the result. It was a team effort. I commend the many victims and witnesses that came forward who had to recount some very private parts of their lives, which they did in the public arena, and should be commended."
Posted 8:01 AM EST by Andy Towle in AIDS/HIV, Australia, Crime, News | Permalink
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Okay, so the guy is a sick asshole for bragging about infecting men, but when the argument was "I received unprotected, anal sex during an orgy from that man, and now I have HIV"? I am sorry, my feeling is; you wanna play with fire, expect to get burned.
Posted by: Rad | Jul 31, 2008 8:42:56 AM
How can the courts decide beyond a reasonable doubt that the HIV was contracted from this person? There's definitely a flaw here. In any case, there's a substantial body of evidence which points to the notion that HIV doesn't cause AIDS. Dr Peter Duesberg has often been quoted in relation to this.
My own view is that AIDS became politicized and is not so much a reflection of HIV as it is of a general poor lifestyle consisting of frequent unfettered sex with total strangers. Combine this with immune system-destroying drugs such as amyl nitrate, hard partying til all hours of the morning, and you get a recipe for cataclysmic body events.
Posted by: jason | Jul 31, 2008 8:59:47 AM
Holy crap! Someone still takes Duesberg seriously? Wow!
Posted by: MAJeff | Jul 31, 2008 9:06:39 AM
I take Duesberg more seriously than other AIDS researchers. The fact that many people with HIV are still healthy after more than 20 years - and without taking medication - suggests that it is not a simple viral cause-and-effect situation. I'm of the belief that knowledge about AIDS has been sullied by a perfect storm of gay correctness and right-wing evangelical revenge theory.
Posted by: jason | Jul 31, 2008 9:25:00 AM
and don't forget your insane bisexual Democratic party ideology, to go along with "gay correctness" and "revenge theory," jason!
Posted by: MAJeff | Jul 31, 2008 9:31:29 AM
I for one fully support frequent unfettered sex with total strangers--not that I'm having it these days, mind you--as long as it's safe, or as safe as possible, and as long as you're not having it with psychopaths like this.
(The immune system-destroying drugs and the physically ruinous party lifestyle should probably be left behind, though.)
Posted by: David D. | Jul 31, 2008 9:31:33 AM
Jason, I am at a loss. I do not know whether you are more self-loathing than stupid or willfully ignorant than self-bigoted. Your "own view" of the disease syndromes that comprise AIDS would be less worrisome if you did not have sex; however, I assume that you do engage in sexual activity, so you are imperiling not only yourself but your partners with your idiotic "view".
Please seek out reliable health information before you do yourself and others further potentially deadly harm. Perhaps you are too young to have lived through the early stages of this ravaging disease when we witnessed our friends wither away in agony as government officials spewed your vile rationale for their inaction. Those of us who attended weekly memorials still remember the devastation in our community and the willfull ignorance that you continue to profess. I implore you: get educated about your health rather than seeking smug self-satisfaction in spurious and harmful beliefs with deadly consequences.
Posted by: rudy | Jul 31, 2008 9:33:11 AM
JASON-
Please tell me the qualifications from which your 'view' on AIDS are expertly driven.
I think its funny when people make such ridiculous statements relying on conspiracy over fact, and doing so without any self reflection. Unless you are an infectious disease scientist (which, guess what, I AM) I would think of your opinion as nothing more than misguided and foolish.
Oh and if you'd like to discuss the pathophysiology of continuous HIV replication, LET ME KNOW!!!
Posted by: JDG | Jul 31, 2008 9:41:45 AM
At this point, we have to assume that Jason is a troll who makes brilliantly retarded comments just to rile people up.
Don't feed the troll!!
Posted by: crispy | Jul 31, 2008 9:58:54 AM
HIV has been around for millions and millions of years. It was only in the last 25 years that it was able to be detected using technologies that were previously not available. It's a virus whose existence was discovered. It's NOT a virus which came into existence.
I personally know of people who have been HIV pos for 15 years. They reduced their licentiousness (i.e. stopped having anonymous sex with multiple men), refused to take drugs or party hard, and are now living happy, healthy lives. The existence of even one such individual rents asunder the notion that HIV causes AIDS.
The idea that HIV causes AIDS is pure gay correctness mixed with right-wing revenge theory. There's also the element of pharmaceutical vested interest in virus theory, but that's for another discussion.
Posted by: jason | Jul 31, 2008 10:04:30 AM
I always knew that all those people in Sub Saharan Africa were asking for trouble with their circuit parties and hard partying til all hours of the morning. Silly Africans and their made up AIDS!
Posted by: D.R.H. | Jul 31, 2008 10:11:53 AM
Gay or stupid? Jason say: Why choose?
Posted by: 24play | Jul 31, 2008 10:14:21 AM
BTW, this douche bag (the one in article) should be shot.
Posted by: D.R.H. | Jul 31, 2008 10:14:34 AM
Gay or stupid? Jason say: Why choose?
Posted by: 24play | Jul 31, 2008 10:15:15 AM
Jason, that some people are more resistant to HIV is common knowledge. Probably some people can be exposed and never become HIV pos and some people can live with the virus and never develop AIDS.
Of course avoiding drugs and partying and leading a healthy lifestyle (which has nothing to do with number of sexual partners, but everything to do with safe sex) will boost one's immunity in general.
But none of this comes close to disproving the connection between HIV and AIDS.
Posted by: Kevinvt | Jul 31, 2008 10:18:10 AM
JASON-
You say: "The existence of even one such individual rents asunder the notion that HIV causes AIDS."
EVER HEAR OF GENETICS?! Dude, at this point you are just trying to get the attention Im even embarrassed to give you by this reply.
Oh and the offer still stands if you'd like me to give you a lesson on the pathophysiology of the virus.
Posted by: JDG | Jul 31, 2008 10:24:28 AM
I see that Jason has moved on from saying he won't vote Democratic because Vanity Fair doesn't have enough pictures of naked bisexual men. Don't encourage his either deliberate or profound stupidity.
As for the guy who deliberately infects people, the mind boggles. I'm glad he was convicted. We all have the responsibility to protect ourselves by having safe sex (whether it's with strangers or not), but that doesn't excuse this guy's inhuman behavior.
Posted by: Ernie | Jul 31, 2008 10:28:15 AM
HIV makes you minority in a minority. May be he(impotent/sick) sees this as a chance to be powerful in a otherwise pitiful situation.
It is cry for help up on a pressure set by the disease. It is still a violent action. He should be isolated in prison- mayor psych.
Posted by: alex | Jul 31, 2008 10:56:40 AM
I honestly don't know how I feel about this whole situation.
1) I don't get why anyone in their right mind would want to knowingly and willing spread ANY virus, whether it be HIV or a cold, to another human being.
2) As someone else said...if you play with fire, you're going to get burned. Did these 'victims' think that there was no risk in having unprotected sex in an orgy?
That would be like me suing my town for the sunburn I got on the beach this week.
Posted by: another matt | Jul 31, 2008 11:01:54 AM
If you guys read the post it says "rape and procuring sexual penetration by fraud."
I believe the latter may refer to Neal falsely stating his HIV status. So I'm sure there are real victims in this ordeal.
Am glad he was convicted. Sad he infected so many.
Posted by: D.C. | Jul 31, 2008 12:49:28 PM
Whoah! Jayson, you're getting your scientific 'expertise' form that douch bag AIDS denier? You're going to take his quack science over an overwhelming amount of PROVEN scientific research that reveals the contrary? Amazing. I ask you to take a few biology and genetics courses before you claim to know what you're talking about.
As for the guy in the article. TOTALLY fucked up, especially if he lied to people about it. But it should be a signal to all you negative guys out there that the responsibility to protect yourself is yours. You must own your OWN responsibility. Stop expecting others to protect you. Protect yourself. Do you know how many guys lie in their on-line profiles? You'd be shocked.
Posted by: Mr. E | Jul 31, 2008 12:50:27 PM
Jason, are you fucking kidding me?! I can't believe people are still quoting that bullshit. The fact that you even mention Duesberg, someone who's research on HIV/AIDS has been disproven again and again by the worldwide medical community, shows that you have your blinders on.
If the cause of AIDS is recreational drugs and a dangerous lifestyle, how do you explain the millions of people living with and dying of AIDS accross the globe? Are they all hard partying meth users?
The AIDS denial movement as just that: denial. Its a natural part of the grieving process that a lot of people seem to be desperately clinging to.
Educate yourself before you spew more ignorant and potentially lethal bullshit.
Posted by: Noah | Jul 31, 2008 1:16:41 PM
Jason, you -- and all the other Duesberg followers who have been asserting for the past 20 years that the existence of healthy HIV+ people proves HIV is not the cause of AIDS -- need to learn the difference between a sufficient condition and a necessary condition. The fact that there are HIV+ persons who don't take medication and who have been healthy for years proves only one thing: that for some people HIV is not sufficient in and of itself to lead to AIDS. It in no way disproves the hypothesis, for which there is a ton of evidence, that HIV is a necessary element of the immune deficiencies of AIDS. And if one accepts the notion that HIV is a necessary (if not sufficient) element of AIDS, avoiding HIV infection is a good way to avoid getting AIDS.
Posted by: Michael J | Jul 31, 2008 2:27:18 PM
The question for Jason most burning me at the moment is: based on your theory (which I believe was made famous by the rogue SF chapter of ACT UP in 94, correct me if I'm wrong), how is the crisis-level HIV and AIDS epidemic in Africa explained? Is it an entirely different disease?
In a way, the epidemic going on there is a perfect test case for the theory that AIDS medication is the actual killer. THere you have millions and millions of HIV+ people without any access to the debated medication, and they are both dying and contracting at a much faster rate. Care to enlighten us?
Posted by: JeffRob | Jul 31, 2008 4:00:38 PM
So, Jason, according to you, HIV has been around for millions of years and doesn't cause AIDS. So, what, HIV is a benign virus then? Let's assume for a moment that you live a very healthy lifestyle with no partying and promiscuous sex. Let's also assume that you have no other STDs and that you are HIV neg. I have a scientific experiment for us to try out. I am HIV+. Why don't you come over to my place tonight and I can fuck you and cum in your ass. Then lets see what happens later. You willing to stand up for your beliefs and step up to the plate?
Posted by: Mr. E | Jul 31, 2008 6:11:41 PM