Hong Kong primary school teacher jailed for 23 months for molesting 8 girls in class
- Sentencing judge cites psychological reports that states young victims suffered from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder
A Hong Kong primary school teacher who molested eight female pupils on multiple occasions between 2021 and 2022 has been sentenced to 23 months in prison for 12 counts of indecent assault.
Deputy District Judge Veronica Heung Shuk-han on Friday meted out the sentence to the 27-year-old defendant after citing psychological reports of the young girls showing they had exhibited fear of men, suffered from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder after being sexually assaulted by him in class.
The defendant, who was only identified as Y.W.H, had pleaded guilty to the 12 counts of indecent assault for molesting the girls in a primary school in Tin Shui Wai between 2021 and 2022.
He had initially been charged with four more counts of the same offence, but those were not ultimately brought against him.
In meting out the sentence, Madam Justice Heung considered not just the physical harm but also the psychological damage the defendant had inflicted on victims, who were supposed to be in a safe environment at school and under the care of trusted adults.
“Not only did the defendant indecently assault the victims separately over a period of the time, he also sexually assaulted four of them more than once,” she said, adding that the teacher had “breached the trust” of the pupils and their parents.
The judge pointed to a psychologist’s report that stated the defendant had demonstrated “superficial remorse” and tried to “shift the blame to the victims”.
