anyone intentionally spreading the AIDS virus to report them immediately.

He was referring to an HIV-positive man's claim that some people are deliberately infecting others because they feel they have nothing to lose.

The man told The Royal Gazette the main target of such "callous'' people were young females.

And yesterday Mr. Edness said: "I read the story in The Royal Gazette and I was horrified. But realistically I know that does and could happen in society.'' That, he said, was why Government passed the Sexual Offences Amendment bill which makes it a crime for someone with AIDS, HIV, or Hepatitis B to knowingly infect someone else.

And, Mr. Edness warned, the maximum penalty for such an offence was life in prison.

"We haven't yet had a case under the new law,'' he said.

But The Royal Gazette understands that a case involving such a situation is pending before the Supreme Court.

While full details of the case cannot be revealed because of what is in dispute, it is understood that a man -- diagnosed as HIV-positive and informed so by doctors -- has allegedly had unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl between the age of 14 and 16.

The man, who denies the offences, has been described as "healthy-looking'' and "charming''.

While the fact that he has tested HIV-positive will be brought up in court as an aggravating factor, the man cannot be tried under the new law because the alleged offences took place before it came into effect on June 1.

But Mr. Edness made it clear the new law would be enforced if anyone was charged with such an offence.

And he said he did not anticipate that a defence of not knowing would stand up in court because the new law also required health care officials to inform verbally and in writing anyone who had tested positive.

Mr. Edness said while it was sad that anyone would intentionally infect another with the AIDS virus, such an action was also regrettable because it could negate the work done to sensitise the community to those with the deadly disease.

"We've worked so hard to de-stigmatise a person who has contracted AIDS,'' he said. "But when you here this kind of thing going on it does not help the community to be sympathetic about people with AIDS.'' However, Mr. Edness said, such a claim also stressed the "need to continually drive home the message for young people to protect themselves and not be drawn into any sexual relationship with adults''.

"Because by doing this,'' he added, "they are just exposing themselves to too great a risk.'' The fact that drugs were sometimes used to get a young person involved with an older person was a sign of risky behaviour, he added.

When contacted yesterday, Insp. Gertrude Barker of the Police Community and Juvenile Department confirmed that the department had seen a pattern where older men had channelled their attention toward female teenagers.

But, she said, often by the time some of those teens had got involved with the department it was too late.

"When we recognise this situation we pass it on to Social Services or another appropriate agency,'' she said.