New Jersey Teacher Charged with Sex Abuse, Transmitting AIDS to Male Student

Excerpted from Student: Teacher Gave Me HIV, published Nov 3, 2006, by WNBC Channel 4:

…Hassan Vann, 29, a former music teacher at West Side High School in Newark, was indicted Thursday, accused of sexually abusing a student who now has AIDS, the Essex County prosecutor’s office said.

Vann faces up to 30 years in prison and 14 charges, including sexual assault and contact, official misconduct, child welfare endangerment, giving drugs and alcohol to a child and failing to notify a sexual partner that he had a sexually transmitted disease.

“Mr. Vann’s alleged conduct involving his former student was vile and has forever changed this young man’s life,” said Essex County Prosecutor Paula T. Dow…

Paul Loriquet, spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, said the victim told authorities he’s only had unprotected sex with Vann and that prosecutors plan to ask a judge to order Vann to undergo an AIDS test. The student believes the frequent, unprotected sex with Vann led to him contracting the virus, Loriquet said.

Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Mark S. Ali said the indictment covers a period from September 2000 to June 2004, with the initial incident happening in December 2000 when the then-14-year-old male was pushed against a high school wall and sexually abused.

The student graduated in 2004 and tested positive for HIV in May 2005, which is when the prosecutor’s office said it was notified.

Continue reading at WNBC Channel 4…