HIV-positive man gets 35 years for spitting at officer, is this an excessive sentence

[teddybear1873]

DALLAS, USA - An HIV-positive man convicted of spitting into the eye and mouth of a Dallas police officer has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Because a jury found that Willie Campbell used his saliva as a deadly weapon, the 42-year-old will have to serve half his sentence before becoming eligible for parole. He was sentenced Wednesday.

Campbell was being arrested in May 2006 for public intoxication when he began resisting and kicking inside the patrol car, Dallas police office Dan Waller testified.

Campbell was convicted of harassment of a public servant.

[MadPict]

Errr, no........

[Kismet]

I thought it only passed through blood and the saliva part was not right, but obviously it must be and he should recieve a hefty sentence therefore. Though 35 years sounds a tad ott when I usually see murder getting 25, though it is attempted murder And 25 probably too short for murder anyways. So no is not excessive. Especially seeing as he is eligible for parole half way through, so if he is really sorry for what he did and behaves himself he will only do about seventeen years and the officer could contract aids and die in a slow and horrible way.

[teddybear1873]

From what i can gather and looked on the net. It's near impossible to get HIV through saliva. It has to be gallons of the stuff.

[balto]

seems a bit extreme to me......

[MadPict]

Guy was found guilty by a jury. Seems like he had his day in court and got locked up for his mistake.
If it sends out the message that spitting at anyone will not be tolerated, then good.

[balto]

pity they wouldnt take the same harsh view with sex offenders

[Lord Flasheart]

I wonder if the "three strikes" rule came into play here ??

Seems a bit excessive though.

[MadPict]

More than 3 strikes....

During the trial, Mr. Campbell, who prosecutors say has been H.I.V. positive since 1994, denied that he had resisted arrest or spit at an officer, his lawyer, Russell Henrichs, said Thursday.

Mr. Henrichs added that his client had been indicted under a habitual-offender statute that increased the penalty in his case to a minimum of 25 years in prison, because he had been convicted of attacking two other officers in a similar manner and biting two inmates, as well as more than two dozen other offenses.



Source

Also:

Dr. R. Doug Hardy, an infectious disease specialist at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children's Medical Center Dallas, also said that fluids in people's eyes and mouths have very low risk of transmitting HIV. The higher risk is for Hepatitis B and C and syphilis, he said.

But Dallas County prosecutor Jenni Morse, who handled Mr. Campbell's case, said any risk level is sufficient for the deadly weapon finding used during the trial.

"No matter how minuscule, there is some risk," said Ms. Morse. "That means there is the possibility of causing serious bodily injury or death," the legal definition of a deadly weapon.


Source

[ciderally]

From what i can gather and looked on the net. It's near impossible to get HIV through saliva. It has to be gallons of the stuff.

if that is true then way ott...id say...but if the officer is infected then thats a different story and deserves 35 and more....

[Kismet]

From what i can gather and looked on the net. It's near impossible to get HIV through saliva. It has to be gallons of the stuff.

Thats what I had thought, so it will be excessive, I agree you shouldn't spit at folk but life in jail for it is a tad rough
Missed mad picts last info am not sure on this one at all now guess doesn't matter he got what he got