'Sex therapist' jailed nine months for molestation

A 68-year-old naturopathic therapist was sentenced to nine months in jail yesterday for molesting a woman during her visits to treat hair loss.

Chan Tung-choi was convicted on four counts of indecent assault and sentenced by Magistrate So Wai-tak in Eastern Court yesterday. Chan had pleaded not guilty to the offences, which took place between September 2005 and October 2006 at his clinic in Sheung Wan.

The court heard Chan had touched the victim's breast and other private parts, saying that she needed 'sex therapy' to help her hair grow.

The 'therapy' became more aggressive in September and October 2006, when Chan forced the victim to let him kiss her.

Delivering the verdict yesterday, the magistrate criticised Chan for acting outside the acceptable scope of behaviour for a therapist. He said it was impossible to believe Chan had touched the victim's private parts by accident. Chan had committed the offences by deceit, and outside the scope of proper therapy, he ruled.

Convicting Chan on the four counts, the magistrate accepted the evidence from the victim, who had provided the court with clear recollections of the four incidents in the charge. He found that she was an honest and reliable witness.

In mitigation, Chan's lawyer Eric Kwok SC told the court that the case did not involve the use of violence. Chan had helped a lot of people, some of whom attended court yesterday to support him, Kwok noted.