Paedophile tutor preyed on primary school boys, concealing criminal record for sex offences in Hong Kong so he could join organisation
- Yan Tsz-ho, 37, applied to be a volunteer tutor at non-profit organisation and signed two declarations claiming he had a clear sexual conviction record
- He had been abusing his victims, boys aged six and seven, in one-on-one tutoring sessions at local restaurants
A paedophile indecently assaulted two primary school boys in Hong Kong after concealing he had a criminal record for sexual offences so he could become their private tutor, a court was told.
The District Court heard that Yan Tsz-ho, 37, applied to be a volunteer tutor at a local non-profit organisation, which cannot be named to protect the boys’ identities, about two years ago.
But he lied that he had not previously been convicted of sexual offences, despite serving a prison sentence in 2010 over same-sex buggery charges.
After his arrest in May last year, police officers found 65 videos on his phone depicting sex acts performed by underage boys.
On Wednesday, Yan, a married man, admitted four counts of indecent assault, two of using a false instrument and one of possessing child pornography. He will remain in custody until he is sentenced on February 19.
Prosecutors said the organisation provided a platform for pupils to engage in one-on-one tuition with volunteers. Yan contacted the organisation in early 2018, and signed two declarations claiming he had a clear sexual conviction record.
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Through the help of the NGO, Yan started tutoring a six-year-old Primary One pupil on March 5 last year. He would teach the boy three days a week on a one-on-one basis in a restaurant, spending up to two hours in each session.
The boy’s mother made a report to police two months later after her child told her that the defendant had fondled him on numerous occasions.
Under caution, the defendant admitted he would let the boy use a smartphone for a few minutes every time he let him touch his genitals. Yan said he was a paedophile who was sexually aroused through touching the boy.
In their investigations, police uncovered a second victim, a seven-year-old Primary Two pupil, whom Yan started tutoring on October 31 the previous year.
The victim, who received tuition at a different restaurant, told officers Yan had given him Lego toys in exchange for allowing the defendant to perform a lewd act on him twice. Security footage from the restaurant showed the defendant hugging the second victim and bending over his lower body.
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Police further discovered in the defendant’s phone 65 videos containing child pornography, 40 of which depicted intercourse between mature men and boys.
Defence lawyers told the court Yan had sincerely wished to provide tuition to children through his voluntary work. They insisted he was not a sexual predator.
But Deputy District Judge Cheang Kei-hong rejected the claim, saying Yan should not have hidden his criminal history if he had truly intended to teach. “If the defendant really wished to help others, he would not have wanted the children to suffer,” the judge added.
Cheang ordered a background and psychology report on the defendant before sentencing.
