Convicted HIV killer ruled dangerous offender
Posted August 2, 2011 12:08 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
An Ontario man believed to be the first person convicted of murder in Canada for willfully spreading the HIV virus has been declared a dangerous offender and may spend the rest of his life behind bars.
A Hamilton, Ont., court designated Johnson Aziga, 54 a dangerous offender Tuesday, following a request by Crown prosecutors that he be jailed indefinitely and that his abnormally high libido would lead him to re-offend if freed.
“I must consider that the offender has a multi-year history of deception,” Justice Thomas Lofchik told the court.
The dangerous offender designation in Canada is usually reserved for convicted serial killers and sexual predators.
Aziga was the first person in Canada to be charged and convicted of first-degree murder for HIV-related crimes.
He has been in custody since his arrest in 2003 for exposing 11 sexual partners to the HIV virus that can lead to AIDS by having unprotected sex with them. He did not disclose his health status to them.
Seven of these women were infected with the virus, two of whom later died of AIDS-related cancers.
Although Aziga admitted he “betrayed the trust of many,” he refused to admit to any legal responsibility, stating his “conscience is clear, unambiguous and unmistakable” on all charges.
“I did not deliberately pass the HIV to any of my sexual partners,” Aziga told the court.
“I do not accept that any reasonable person would conclude that I am in fact guilty,” he said.
In court, Aziga asked to have “HIV positive” tattooed on the palms of his hands “so I can easily show it,” but the judge denied this request.
In April 2009, Aziga, a Ugandan immigrant and father of three, was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, 10 counts of aggravated sexual assault and one count of attempted aggravated sexual assault.
His lawyer has previously argued that Aziga has learned more about HIV and AIDS during his eight years in jail and that the dangerous offender designation applies to violent criminals, not his client.
With files from The Canadian Press
