Man with HIV faces 10 charges for not telling partners
A Toronto man with connections to Windsor is facing eight more charges of aggravated sexual assault for failing to disclose his HIV-positive status.
Toronto police previously charged Ala Al Safi, 27, twice with charges for failing to disclose his HIV status to sexual partners after first being diagnosed in February 2011.
He was arrested two times earlier this year in Toronto — first on April 10, then again on June 20.
But Al Safi on Friday was again in a Toronto court where he faced additional counts of aggravated sexual assault for eight more alleged victims who have come forward.
Al Safi attended high school in Windsor.
He has also performed in Windsor at least once during a fundraiser for Windsor Pride in the summer of 2014 when he was described in promotional material and photos from the event as “Windsor’s own” under the stage name Miss Ala Mode.
“As far as occurrences happening (in Windsor) I couldn’t say,” Const. Julia Lee of Toronto police’s sex crime department said Monday.
She said the investigation remains ongoing and police anticipate there are other victims.
Al Safi is believed to have largely resided in Toronto the last few years, Lee said. He may also go by the names Ala El Dean and Ala Mode, police said.
Windsor police said Monday they were not immediately aware of any information or concerns surrounding Al Safi’s actions.
Toronto police initially alleged Al Safi, after being first diagnosed with HIV in 2011, soon after met a 24-year-old man online in July of that year and “engaged in an intimate relationship.” The man is now HIV positive. In December of 2016, Al Safi was alleged by police to have met another man online and engaged in a relationship with a second victim, who is also now diagnosed with HIV.
Neither victim was informed by Al Safi of his HIV positive status, police said.
Toronto police now further allege between December 2011 and March 2017, the accused had intimate relations with eight other men, ranging in age from 18 to 28. That in all cases, he failed to disclose his HIV status.
Al Safi has a bail hearing set in court for Aug. 4.
Those with information regarding Al Safi are asked to contact Toronto police at 416-808-7474, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477) or online at 222tips.com.