Women tell of HIV sex risk
AN HIV-positive migrant accused of recklessly risking the health of a woman by having unprotected sex with her was remanded in custody last night.
Sudanese-born Lam Kuoth, 28, was arrested near his Norlane home yesterday after Department of Human Services staff alerted police about his alleged sexual activities.
The Herald Sun believes Mr Kuoth, of Salvia St, was allowed into the country in July last year on an indefinite basis on humanitarian grounds.
Geelong Magistrates' Court yesterday heard Mr Kuoth had unprotected sex with at least three women, with one alleged victim telling DHS he roamed streets to ask girls for sex.
The court was told one 16-year-old girl claimed he had trapped her in his bedroom and tried to force her to have sex with him.
Mr Kuoth was diagnosed with HIV in September 2006. A bail application hearing was told he had infected his current partner, a 26-year-old Geelong woman who is pregnant to him.
The charge Mr Kuoth faces relates to a 24-year-old Reservoir woman whom he met at a Prahran nightclub on April 22 this year and allegedly had unprotected sex with five times.
She has not seen him since and has tested negative for HIV.
Sen-Det Greg Nunn, of the sexual crimes squad, said Mr Kuoth's current partner was diagnosed with HIV at the Geelong infectious diseases registry.
The registry notified DHS, and on April 4 Mr Kuoth was served with an order signed by then chief health officer Robert Hall ordering him to practise safe sex and inform any partners of his HIV status.
Sen-Det Nunn told yesterday's bail hearing DHS was then alerted that a Norlane teenager, 16, claimed she had unprotected sex with Mr Kuoth 10 times between October 2006 and April this year.
"She described the first time as forced," Sen-Det Nunn told the court. "No condoms were used.
"She didn't know he was HIV-positive and he didn't tell her.
"The last time (they allegedly had sex) was April 6 -- just two days after he was served the order describing his responsibilities regarding safe sex and informing of his HIV status."
The court heard that the teenager has since tested negative to the disease.
The hearing was told that another 16-year-old girl claimed Mr Kuoth "held her captive" in his bedroom and tried to force her to have sex late last year.
"(One of them) told DHS partner notification officers that (Mr Kuoth) walks the streets of Norlane and asks girls for sex," Sen-Det Nunn said. "She believes he has had numerous other partners, some as young as 14."
The court was told a psychiatrist had deemed Mr Kuoth "a high risk of infecting others with HIV", and that he was detained at Thomas Embling Hospital for 28 days under an isolation order.
Police seized his phone from the DHS and began contacting numbers, leading detectives to the 24-year-old Reservoir woman and the 16-year-old who claimed Mr Kuoth had tried to force himself on her in his bedroom.
Prosecutor Sen-Constable Seton Lillas said Mr Kuoth should not be granted bail because he was a danger to the community. Magistrate Jon Klestadt refused bail, adjourning the hearing until today when he expects to hear from DHS officials as to why Mr Kuoth was released from Thomas Embling on May 25.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21967604-2862,00.html