Man with Hep C may face 14 years for spitting at a cop
Kristopher Wentworth was having a really bad day. He was in court and things didn't look good. He'd robbed a variety store - and stolen a few pills from a girlfriend. Wentworth lost his temper in the courtroom - and that's when his situation went from bad to drastically worse. When the deputies tried to handcuff him, he spat at one, right in the face.
Now the New Brunswick man faces the severe additional charge of aggravated assault - just because he happens to have Hepatitis C (HCV). There is no medically documented case of passing that virus from spitting - and in the context of increasing criminalization of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) and blood-borne diseases, this recent case represents a chilling first for Canada.
From an article I just wrote here:
http://bit.ly/hcv-spitting
You're welcome to check it out and comment here and/or at the article itself.
Now the New Brunswick man faces the severe additional charge of aggravated assault - just because he happens to have Hepatitis C (HCV). There is no medically documented case of passing that virus from spitting - and in the context of increasing criminalization of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) and blood-borne diseases, this recent case represents a chilling first for Canada.
From an article I just wrote here:
http://bit.ly/hcv-spitting
You're welcome to check it out and comment here and/or at the article itself.