Chess tutor admits three underage sex offences
HK01 · 2 SOURCESabout 4 hours ago7 MIN
Summary
A 38-year-old chess tutor, Chan Koon-hong (陳冠匡), admitted three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse at Tsuen Wan Court, sitting as a temporary District Court, on September 4. The court heard he first had sex with the girl when she was 12 and later had sex with her twice more after learning her true age, with sentencing adjourned to October 2.
Key Points
- Chan, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 and two counts involving a girl under 16 in case DCCC 1544/2025.
- The offences admitted covered incidents between December 2024 and April 6, 2025, at a flat in Lung Tsai Tsuen, Cheung Chau, and a room at The Loop Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui.
- The girl, identified as X, was 12 when she met Chan through a cosplay event in 2024, later claimed she was 15, and the pair became boyfriend and girlfriend.
- The first intercourse took place in Chan’s bedroom in Cheung Chau in December 2024, with the girl described as the initiator and condoms used during the encounter.
- After the girl disclosed later that month that she was actually 12, Chan still had sex with her on March 14 and March 16, 2025, after she had turned 13.
- The court was told the girl said in a video-recorded interview that she had forced the pace and directly removed his trousers when asked who initiated sex. Her family later invited Chan to celebrate her 13th birthday at home, where he wrote her a love letter and wished her a happy birthday, although the family did not know the relationship had become sexual. The two hotel encounters lasted about two to four hours each, condoms were used, and the girl later took emergency contraception after one condom was found to have broken. The girl’s mother learned in March 2025 that they had had sex, confronted Chan, and he admitted he knew she was underage and that his conduct was illegal. He was arrested on April 11, 2025, and two additional counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 were ordered to remain on the court file. Defence counsel said Chan has been in custody since April last year, completed a computer interior design course in prison, and received support letters from relatives and friends, with Sing Tao reporting 20 mitigation letters.
Why It Matters
The sentencing hearing will determine how the court weighs the girl’s age, her reported initiative, and the defendant’s admitted knowledge that she was underage when the later offences occurred. For Hong Kong readers, the case also underlines that a minor’s apparent consent or a private dating relationship does not negate criminal liability under unlawful sexual intercourse offences.