New charges for man with HIV arrested in sex assault

An HIV-positive man who was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl he picked up at a summer camp now faces additional charges.

Xavier Robert Bissonnette, 56, appeared at provincial court Monday by closed-circuit television from the Calgary Remand Centre.

He was initially charged with aggravated sexual assault after he drove to a camp on July 8 where the girl, from central Alberta, was enrolled and took her to a home in Calgary where the assault happened.

Police said the two met through an online dating site.

Bissonnette was diagnosed with HIV in 1998. The 17-year-old girl had been unaware of his HIV-positive condition, police said.

The Calgary man now faces two additional charges of kidnapping and unlawful confinement in connection with that incident, defence lawyer Stephen Jenuth said.

Investigators said there could be others who have had unprotected sex with Bissonette, unaware that he is HIV-positive.