Hepatitis C sufferer flicked blood in woman's face

A Christchurch woman has an agonising wait for medical test results after a Hepatitis C sufferer flicked blood in her face.

Brandon Lee Coulson, 17, contracted the virus, which is spread through blood-to-blood contact, at a young age, a court heard today.

He became agitated during a recent domestic argument with a woman that NZME has chosen not to identify.

Coulson verbally abused the woman in a kitchen before going into a laundry room where he punched a hole in a wall, cutting his hand, Christchurch District Court heard.

When he returned to the kitchen, Coulson again yelled at the victim.

Another woman stood in front of her to protect her form Coulson.

But during the exchange, Coulson flicked his hand at the victim, which resulted in blood landing on her face, the court heard.

The woman was "terrified" that she might have contracted Hepatitis C during the assault, which Coulson pleaded guilty to.

The court heard today that the victim has undergone blood tests to see if she has contracted the virus.

Defence counsel Elizabeth Bulger said Coulson wants to apologise to the victim and find out whether she has tested positive, but has been unable to do so because of his non-contact bail conditions.

Judge Alistair Garland told the court that if she has tested positive then an apology "won't be quite sufficient".

He adjourned sentencing until April 13 for the blood test results to be provided to the court so that he can determine the seriousness of the assault.