Female teacher guilty of molesting girl

A woman teacher was yesterday found guilty of molesting a teenage girl for engaging in sexual acts while the two were in a relationship - even though the girl had withdrawn her accusations against the teacher.

Yvonne Chiang Ka-yin, 29, was convicted in the District Court of two counts of indecent assault for touching the breasts and private parts of the student in 2008 and last year. The girl was 13 when the offences began. The judge said Chiang had failed to live up to the standards expected of a teacher.

Chiang was also convicted of possessing child pornography, including two videos stored on her mobile phone. The girl was naked in both videos, with one of them showing Chiang caressing the girl's breasts. Chiang was the girl's teacher in 2007. They became lovers six months later. The pair had kissed, hugged and Chiang had caressed the girl's breasts and private parts on several occasions at her home and the girl's home. Deputy Judge Rickie Chan Kam-cheong passed sentence after ruling that evidence gathered by the police could be admitted to court, and that Chiang's claim that she was induced to make a confession was unfounded.

Although the victim withdrew her evidence against Chiang - as told to police in a recorded interview and submitted to the court - when she appeared in court, the judge ruled that the girl had probably done so out of sympathy for Chiang.

Chan said: 'As a teacher, people have expectations of your behaviour. It's like when theft is made more serious because the offender has stolen money from his employer.'

The judge said Chiang's offence was serious because of the age difference between her and the student, their teacher-student relationship and the lengthy period during which the crimes occurred.