Personal Statement re HIV scare

[paul jones]

Hi,

1) I was the person the performer reached out to. You know that question they always ask at the clinic, "is there someone you could turn to?", well in this case it was me who got turned to.

Was I expecting it? No. Did I have a plan? No. Is there handbook on what to do? No. Would I have rather it was anyone else but me? Hell yes.

But of course it wasn't about me, it was about them, and what they wanted. And what they wanted to do was make sure that NO ONE TAKE ANY RISKS.

More on how and why that email was sent at http://bgafd.co.uk/forum/read.php?f=5&i=193384&t=193384


2) Now that it's all over I can add, just a little, but hopefully enough to set some people's minds at rest and allay certain wild allegations.

The moment I sent the email I got in the car and went to the person involved.

I have been with them every step of the way since.

I don't mean thinking about them, or sending them nice messages on Twitter, I mean there, with them, in person, as they went though something that no one should have gone though. And that was before the wild allegations got started.

So guys, you want to know what happened here? Shit happened. Just like the tee shirt says. No giant conspiracy, just a very rare error that lead to a perfectly heathly person being told something incorrect.

Unfortunately that error was like the snowball that starts an avalanche.

So, please take away the following :-

INNOCENT and HEALTHY and ALWAYS HAS BEEN
INNOCENT and HEALTHY and ALWAYS HAS BEEN
INNOCENT and HEALTHY and ALWAYS HAS BEEN




3) Rumour mill.

I'M DISGUSTED at some of the stuff I've seen posted. End of.


4) AITA

AITA have taken some stick for not giving out more information.

This is unfair on AITA. They have published everything they could, as soon as they could.

FWIW when AITA contacted us we were more than happy to let them do all the public stuff. We had other things to worry about.

I am sure that they themselves will admit that they were caught off guard and unprepared and took them a little while to get into gear, (no blame attached, I was the same. It takes a while to sink in), but once they did we got all the emotional, practical and logistical support we needed.


4) WHO IS TO BLAME?

a) For what? For getting a wrong result? No one. All lab tests have error rates. This one has a very low error rate, but nothing is foolproof. We know the lab will be doing everything they can to understand what might have happened in the hope of preventing it happening again, but we have no reason to believe there is any fault as such.

I also know that there is talk about how the message was given to the person, but even if had been done by the book it would probably not have changed what happened next, so that's something we are also leaving to the clinic to review.

b) For getting the message out there? The performer and myself.

But if you expect anyone to apologise for trying to keep you all safe, you'll have a long wait.

Most people who emailed me said they thought we did the right thing, and I'm pleased to say that even some who didn't, have since come round to agreeing that we did.

c) For the panic? Did anyone panic? No one has told me they panicked. They only told me they were worried that other people might panic.

Got scared and concerned yes, but panic, no. Scared and concerned was a very sensible reaction.


4) Can I say more about the detail of this incident? No.

This is probably the last public comment I shall make regarding this incident.

[Trinity]

Fair play, Paul but could you answer the question that's yet to be answered, was the result done in January as other posts have suggested?


I apologies for any offence my posts may have caused, the rumour mill is a hard place but obviously that raises questions that haven't been answered yet and I think we're all guilty of being suspicious and wanting to protect ourselves and the industry we work in.

Give my best regards to the performer.

Trintiy

[Trinity]

Thanks GTF, there's that many posts on the subject I must have missed it.

Trinity

[oli_cortez]

I think it all sounds a bit fishy personally but I'm hoping it isn't.

[paul jones]

The reasons for sending the email were posted here -

http://bgafd.co.uk/forum/read.php?f=5&i=193384&t=193384

sorry for not making it a link in the statement.

[paul jones]

Rest easy Oli, your hopes are correct.

[oli_cortez]

Good!!

[frankthring]

It all sounds like a horrible experience Paul, and as a longtime director and
performer who has never met you but can sympathise with your awful
predicament, let me just say how open, and clear, your explanation seems
to be. Best of luck for the future.