Fake psychic jailed 15 years after tricking girlfriend’s daughter, 17, into having sex with him
Taxi driver claimed to have supernatural powers, said he was performing rituals to protect victim’s younger sister from evil spirits
A taxi driver who claimed to have special powers and tricked his girlfriend’s 17-year-old daughter into having sex with him 14 times was jailed for 15 years after the High Court on Monday found him to be in breach of the trust placed in him by the family.
While noting that the 50-year-old man had faced a midlife crisis and had sought gratification by fooling the victim and her family members with his made-up supernatural abilities, Mr Justice Patrick Li Hon-leung also criticised the single mother for her failure to protect her children.
The judge sentenced the fake psychic to imprisonment after a seven-member jury found him guilty last month of two counts of rape, 10 counts of procuring another person to do an unlawful sexual act by false pretences and one count of indecent assault. He was cleared of a separate charge of procuring another person to do an unlawful sexual act by false pretences.
The defendant, who had denied all charges against him, appeared expressionless on Monday upon hearing the sentence.
The court earlier heard that the offences took place between April and August 2015, when the taxi driver told the then 17-year-old girl that her younger sister was “ill fated”.
The victim – referred to as “Y” in court to protect her identity – believed this and had sex with him as she was assured that such contact could ward off the evil spirits harassing her sibling.
The taxi driver was originally a family friend. He began to date the sisters’ mother after she had divorced their father.
In a recorded video interview previously shown in court, the younger sister – referred to as “X” – said the taxi driver had taken care of her family and that they used to get along well.
“I called him ‘Dad-dad’,” the younger girl, now 14, recalled.
But the taxi driver was said to have become a different man after seeking treatment for erectile dysfunction in Thailand in 2013. “X” cited his repeated mentioning of “gong tau” – a type of black magic practised in Southeast Asia.
He asked me to cleanse my body thoroughly and go into the only bedroom in our flat with him. We would sit back to back on a bed and recite texts like the Heart Sutra
“He said he was reincarnated. He said he used to be possessed by many evil spirits,” the younger girl added.
The man claimed that the sisters’ home in Lam Tin was plagued by evil spirits from Africa before persuading them to recite Buddhist scriptures with him.
“He asked me to cleanse my body thoroughly and go into the only bedroom in our flat with him. We would sit back to back on a bed and recite texts like the Heart Sutra,” she recalled.
The younger sister said that on another occasion, the man had hugged her tightly and kissed her in the kitchen.
Apart from molesting the younger girl, the taxi driver also had sex with “Y” 14 times in her flat and at a love hotel. He had claimed to be performing rituals related to “the signs of the zodiac” to prevent harm from coming to “X”, the court heard.
The court also heard that the mother had accused her eldest daughter of stealing her boyfriend.
In sentencing, Li described the woman’s attitude as “difficult to understand”.
“It’s a shame. She was an irresponsible mother as she failed to protect her daughters,” the judge said.
“What the mother did had undermined her daughters’ judgement when facing the paranormal claims made by the defendant,” Li added.
Clinical psychologists said the sisters had been “brutally traumatised by the sexual abuse” and suggested the girls receive treatment and counselling.
According to psychological reports on the defendant, he was failing to cope with a midlife crisis and therefore made up his mysterious experiences to impress the women.
The judge said the taxi driver had abused the trust placed in him by the family.
“His conduct has completely destroyed the relationships between the mother and her daughters,” Li said, rejecting his claim that he was remorseful.
