30 May 2007

GRONINGEN  - The police have arrested four men who deliberately infected homosexual men in Groningen with HIV. The police in Groningen announced this on Wednesday.

The men met in chatrooms on the internet and made dates to meet at sex parties. There they were drugged with GHB and then injected with HIV-infected blood.

One of the suspects had a large amount of GHB in his possession. The remaining three suspects also had quantities of the drug.

Five victims between the ages of 25 and 50 have reported to the police so far. Four have filed charges, the fifth has only made a statement. The police say that not all have actually become infected as a result of the injections, but are not disclosing how many are now HIV-positive.

The suspects, three of whom are homosexual, are two 48-year-old men from Slochteren and two men from Groningen aged 33 and 34.

The public prosecution department has charged the men with premeditated grievous bodily harm. The maximum penalty which could be imposed on the suspects if convicted is 16 years in prison.

"The life expectancy of the victims can be extended with medication and as a result the suspects cannot be charged with manslaughter or murder," the spokesperson for the prosecution office explained. "That is contained in jurisprudence from the Supreme Court."

The police first received reports about these sex parties in June 2006. The first victim filed charges in February of this year. The suspects were arrested in early May. All the suspects knew each other; two were involved in a relationship with each other.

The sex parties took place at the private homes of the suspects or the victims. Drugs were mixed into the drinks of the victims without their knowledge. They were then sexually abused and injected with contaminated blood.

The injections were mixtures of different samples of infected blood from the suspects. Two of the suspects have confessed. The police say the suspects "got a kick" out of doing this to their victims. Police suspect that there are more victims and are calling on them to report to the authorities.

Last year the regional health authority (GGD) in Groningen warned homosexuals against visiting these kinds of parties. The GGD had noticed an increase in HIV infections.

[Copyright Expatica News + ANP 2007]

Subject: Dutch news