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Legal
German star accused of spreading HIV
By CMU Editorial | Published on Wednesday 15 April 2009
A member of Germany’s biggest-selling girl group has been arrested on suspicion of deliberately spreading the HIV virus. Nadja Benaissa was arrested on Saturday in Frankfurt shortly before she was due to go on stage to perform a solo concert.
Prosecutors in the town of Darmstadt said in a statement that Benaissa had been detained because they suspected that she had unprotected sex with three men between 2004 and 2006 without informing them that she is HIV positive. At least one of the men subsequently tested positive for the virus. She now faces possible charges of grievous bodily harm and may face up to 10 years in prison.
Benaissa is a member of No Angels, an all-female pop group formed on the German version of TV talent show, ‘Popstars’. They went on to be the country’s most successful girl group of all time, racking up over 5 million record sales, and representing Germany in the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest. Benaissa has also released a solo album and is reportedly in the process of recording a second.
Her manager declined to comment on the arrest, according to Spiegel Online.
