HAMILTON - The defence is scheduled to begin calling witnesses today in the trial of a Hamilton man accused of infecting his sexual partners with HIV.
Johnson Aziga has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and 11 counts of aggravated sexual assault.
The Crown concluded its case on Dec. 16 after calling 38 witnesses, including the director of a national HIV and retrovirology laboratory.
Paul Sandstrom testified that Aziga and seven women he allegedly infected carried the same subtype of HIV, called clade A.
Aziga was arrested on Aug. 30, 2003, and charged with aggravated assault on two women.
Police issued a news release after the arrest, which prompted other alleged victims to step forward and the additional charges to be laid.
