London: An HIV-positive man in US has potentially infected thousands of people - by having unprotected sex so he could spread the disease, according to a media report.

David Dean Smith, 51, turned himself in to a Michigan police station last week - after claiming to have slept with 3,000 men and women over several years.

A detective investigating the case said: "He says he intentionally attempted to spread the disease to kill people".

It is unclear when Smith was diagnosed with HIV, but he claims to have known full well what he was doing when he had unprotected sex with many partners over the past few years.

While he claims that there may be thousands of victims, so far he has only been arraigned and charged with two counts of AIDS-sexual penetration with an uninformed partner, The Daily Mail reported today.

According to his Facebook profile, Smith graduated from Harry Hill high school in Lansing, Michigan in 1978. He then went on to study at the online for-profit University of Pheonix, the report said.

His frequent and positive posts about the successes of his band do not reflect the supposed inner turmoil that he was going through.

He was court-appointed to a mental health facility because of recent suicide attempts, and their records allege that he is 'sexually aroused by causing pain to females.

In Michigan, sexual penetration with HIV is considered a felony and he will be tried accordingly.

Tags: AIDS, David Dean Smith, HIV positive