Hong Kong teacher jailed 18 months for indecent assaults
SingTao · 3 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
A 32-year-old former teacher, Cheng Hon-sze (鄭漢斯), was sentenced to 18 months in prison at Tsuen Wan Court sitting as a District Court after being convicted following trial of two counts of indecent assault involving a female student identified as X. The judge said the case was serious because of the 11-year age gap, the teacher-student relationship and the psychological trauma caused to the victim, and recommended that correctional authorities arrange professional counselling for the defendant.
Key Points
- Cheng had originally faced nine indecent assault charges alleging nine incidents between November 2019 and June 2024 at Fanling Centre car park, a school, a Yuen Long location and a Yuen Long flat.
- After trial, he was convicted on two counts and acquitted on seven, with the proven offences relating to incidents when X was about 14 to 15 years old.
- The court heard Cheng was X's class teacher in Secondary One and Two, and later her chemistry teacher from Secondary Four to Six.
- Evidence described private meetings in which Cheng guided X's hand to masturbate him to ejaculation, and in another incident at school asked her to masturbate him and perform oral sex.
- Psychological reports said Cheng had difficulty forming age-appropriate romantic relationships and weak insight into unequal teacher-student power dynamics, while X continued to struggle with trauma and distorted views of trust and harm.
Why It Matters
The sentence underlines how Hong Kong courts treat sexual misconduct by teachers as aggravated when there is a clear abuse of authority over a student. The judge's remarks on counselling and the victim's long recovery also point to the lasting impact such cases can have beyond the criminal conviction itself.