Sex worker jailed for infecting a client with HIV could be deported to NZ

A sex worker who was jailed for infecting a client with HIV is fighting to stop her deportation from Australia to New Zealand.

Clayton Palmer, who is transgender, was convicted in the Western Australia District Court in 2018 of one count of grievous bodily harm in relation to having sex with a client.

The man was infected with HIV in the encounter despite Palmer knowing she was HIV positive.

At the time, Palmer was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment which was reduced to four years on appeal.

She had been an Australian resident since 2006 but her visa was subject to mandatory cancellation because of her criminal record.

Palmer’s deportation from Australia to New Zealand was confirmed after a decision from the federal government to cancel her visa.

Lawyers for Palmer from the HIV/Aids Legal Centre fronted the Federal Court in Sydney on Tuesday in a bid to overturn the decision.

Palmer’s counsel Bora Kaplan argued that she had difficulty coming to terms with her diagnosis at the time of offending but was on medication which reduced her chances of infecting a partner.

‘The evidence before the (immigration) minister was quite clear in my respectful submission, and it was the Ms Palmer had consistently taken her medication since 2016,’ Mr Kaplan said.

‘Importantly, even during those times that she had relapsed into illicit drug use … there was nothing to suggest that there was a risk that she would stop taking that medication going forward.

‘The evidence established that HIV cannot be transmitted from A to B, if A has an undetectable viral load as Palmer did.’

Clayton Palmer (under the blanket) is pictured at Perth International Airport in 2018

However, Mr Kaplan did admit that Ms Palmer’s initial reaction to being diagnosed was one of denial.

‘The only reason is not to be defended by the respondent is the second of those reasons that I identified in paragraph 30,’ he said.

‘That is that prior to commencing treatment, Ms Palmer was in denial about her diagnosis, took drugs and was reckless in her approach to her own sexual health and that of her sexual partners.’

Palmer previously told a tribunal she wanted to stay in Australia and maintain her connections to communities including people with HIV, transgender people and sex workers.

The hearing has been adjourned.