United Press International | October 26, 2006

ADELAIDE, Australia, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- An HIV-positive Australian, convicted of endangering the lives of three women, is challenging the existence of the virus in court.

Andre Chad Parenzee was convicted in February of endangering three former girlfriends through unprotected sex and faces up to 15 years in prison. One of the women now has HIV.

But now Parenzee, in what is believed to be an international and legal first, is attempting to turn conventional science on its head by claiming the HIV virus does not really exist.

The Australian newspaper reported Supreme Court Judge John Sulan has set aside two weeks to hear arguments Parenzee's conviction should be quashed.

Two self-styled scientific researchers have already appeared as witnesses to attack the "HIV myth."

The Australian said prosecutors have prepared several expert witnesses to shore up more than two decades of global research -- which underpins public health and safe-sex campaigns -- that HIV causes AIDS and is contracted through unprotected sex.