Three men have gone on trial in the Netherlands accused of deliberately infecting at least 14 other men with HIV - the virus that causes Aids.
The prosecution says the three promoted gay sex parties on the internet, then drugged and raped their guests and injected them with HIV-infected blood.
Twelve of the alleged victims have tested positive for HIV.
The three defendants, all HIV-positive, deny the charges. They face up to 21 years in prison if convicted.
They are charged with assault, rape and possession of illegal drugs.
The court, in the northern city of Groningen, heard that the three men allegedly drugged their party guests with a combination of ecstasy and a date rape drug before sexually assaulting them and injecting them with their own HIV-positive blood.
A lawyer for the alleged victims said they would launch a civil case for compensation if the defendants were convicted.
"They are hoping the trial will provide an answer to the question of why this happened to them," said the lawyer, Fred Kappelhof. Three men have gone on trial in the Netherlands accused of deliberately infecting at... more
HONG KONG, Thursday, Nov. 8 The story started with a 2-year-old boy who was taken to a suburban Sydney hospital on Oct. 5 in a shallow coma and suffering from seizurelike spasms. It ended with the latest recall of a Chinese-made toy, as the Consumer Product Safety Commission ordered the recall of 4.2 million Aqua Dots in the United States on Wednesday evening.
Connecting the two events were four weeks of medical sleuthing by Dr. Kevin Carpenter, a biochemical geneticist in Sydney. Dr. Carpenter discovered that the boy in Sydney had eaten Bindeez beads, celebrated as Australias Toy of the Year.
Once ingested, the beads released a chemical related to GHB, the banned date rape drug. The beads are marketed in North America as Aqua Dots.
Dr. Carpenters story demonstrates how recalls come about, in a time when they are becoming depressingly routine.HONG KONG, Thursday, Nov. 8 The story started with a 2-year-old boy who was taken... more
"Aqua Dots, which features small beads that bond with water, are made with a chemical the body converts to gamma-hydroxy butyrate, commonly known as the date-rape drug."
Great.
And...if your child swallows one they become comatose.
Awesome.
What will they come up with next?"Aqua Dots, which features small beads that bond with water, are made with a... more
2 children went into coma's after swallowing a toy made in Japan, but distributed by Fisher Price. The name of the product is Aqua Dots- dot's that you just add water to and connect to make shapes. The actual product is kind of cool, but what about these kids and why would they put something out with date rape?
Thoughts anyone?2 children went into coma's after swallowing a toy made in Japan, but distributed... more
