German pop singer tried over HIV allegation

[August 16, 2010]  DARMSTADT, Germany (AP) -- A German singer has gone on trial, accused of causing bodily harm by having unprotected sex despite knowing she was HIV-positive.

Nadja Benaissa, a member of German girl band No Angels, is alleged to have infected a man with the virus in 2004.

The German news agency DAPD reported that in a statement read by her lawyer to the Darmstadt administrative court, Benaissa conceded that she hadn't handled the virus properly and admitted having had unprotected sex. She says she was "sorry from my heart."

The 28-year-old added: "No way did I want my partner to be infected."

Benaissa was arrested in April 2009 and kept in custody for 10 days -- a move that a German AIDS awareness group criticized as disproportionate.

[Associated Press]

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