Elderly tutor who sexually assaulted 15-year-old student to ‘help her relax’ jailed for 20 months by Hong Kong court
- Lam Tin-po, 71, pleads guilty to two counts of indecent assault – which carries maximum sentence of 10 years in prison – and one of unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 16
- Defence counsel says offence committed out of momentary impulse and guilty plea spares victim from having to testify
An elderly Hong Kong tutor who sexually assaulted his 15-year-old student under the pretence of helping her relax and improving her future sex life was jailed for 20 months on Tuesday.
District judge Frankie Yiu Fun-che said the case was serious as Lam Tin-po, 71, abused his student’s trust and admiration to indecently assault her on two occasions and have sex with her, using various excuses, while she visited his flat for free private tutorials last year.
An impact assessment of the girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, found she had since developed disgust towards the opposite sex and low self-esteem, believing herself to be dirty.
A clinical psychologist said Lam’s chance of reoffending was low but found him unsuitable for certain jobs like tutoring young children.
Lam had pledged to stop teaching and become a professional driver, after expressing regret in a letter to the court.
His counsel Lee Yiu-chung added the offence was committed out of momentary impulse and said his guilty plea had spared the victim from having to testify in court.
Lam pleaded guilty in March to two counts of indecent assault and one of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16.
Prosecutors said the pair met during free tutorials Lam offered at a community centre in August 2016 and later bonded over regular lessons, held three to four times a week, with the girl addressing him as her “godfather”.
The first assault took place in February last year when Lam offered to give the girl a massage but instead touched her breasts and genitals, claiming he could help her have a better sex life with her future husband.
The assaults escalated on March 20 last year when Lam offered another massage – on the pretence of alleviating her stress – and made her lie on his bed for “comprehensive treatment”, during which he molested her and asked if they could have sex. The girl refused.
But Lam persisted for a third time, claiming he had not had sex with his wife for a long time and that he had erection problems. Out of annoyance, the girl eventually agreed.
Upon arrest, Lam told police he molested the girl to help her relax and improve her health.
Investigators later found the girl had looked up “loss of virginity” and “birth control pills” on the night Lam had sex with her.
The maximum sentence for indecent assault is 10 years’ jail and five years for unlawful sexual intercourse.
