March 17, 2013
Swiss Police Storm Home of Fugitive in HIV Trial
Winnie McCroy READ TIME: 1 MIN.
GENEVA -- Swiss police have arrested a self-styled acupuncturist who holed up in his home after refusing to attend a trial at which he is accused of intentionally infecting 16 people with HIV.
Police spokesman Michael Fichter says a SWAT team stormed the man's home in the capital Bern Friday after a daylong standoff during which he had threatened officers with a samurai sword and a gun.
After his arrest the man was taken to a hospital for a medical examination.
Prosecutors accuse the man of using various pretexts to prick his victims with a needle and infect them with HIV between 2001 and 2005. They have asked judges to sentence him to 15 years in prison.
The man, who hasn't been identified because of Swiss privacy laws, denies the charges.
Winnie McCroy is the Women on the EDGE Editor, HIV/Health Editor, and Assistant Entertainment Editor for EDGE Media Network, handling all women's news, HIV health stories and theater reviews throughout the U.S. She has contributed to other publications, including The Village Voice, Gay City News, Chelsea Now and The Advocate, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.
