Canadian teacher accused of molesting two 6-year-old girls in Hong Kong kindergarten has case to answer, magistrate rules

A Canadian teacher has a case to answer over allegations he molested two six-year-old girls at a Hong Kong kindergarten, a court has ruled.

Magistrate Amy Chan Wai-mun on Tuesday said Robert Scott Johnson, 56, had to answer to two counts of indecent assault, which he denied, after two K3 pupils, identified in court only as X and Y, accused him of touching them in a classroom during afternoon nap on July 13, 2018.

One of their teachers supported their allegations, testifying that she had seen Johnson touching X’s blanket and withdrawing his hand instantly when she looked over.

“What happened?” the magistrate asked.

“Found …” the teacher began, adding after a long pause: “Found Scott touching the kids.”

The teacher testified that X later gestured to her upper body and pointed down below her waist, when she asked what Johnson was doing.

“He touched me,” X reportedly said. “Here.”

Kowloon City Court heard the teacher immediately alerted her colleagues and a social worker, which led the Social Welfare Department to report the case to police.

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In his defence, Johnson said he was waiting to have lunch when he walked into X and Y’s classroom, where the children were getting ready for their nap on low folding beds placed on the floor.

But instead of sleeping, he said, X twice untied his shoelaces so he placed his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to tell her to stop – only to fall forward when X grabbed his fingers and pulled him towards her.

The part-time English teacher further denied any body contact with Y, claiming he had only tucked in her blanket which she had repeatedly kicked off to the ground.

“I was a bit angry,” Johnson said. “I just had enough of this.”

The magistrate questioned why Johnson entered the classroom in the first place.

“Couldn’t you stretch your legs elsewhere?” Chan asked.

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“They were supposed to be more mature,” Johnson said of the K3 children. “I didn’t think there would be a problem.”

Prosecutor Boey Chung asked Johnson why he was so annoyed and angered by the children.

“These are just harmless pranks, even ‘prank’ may be too strong a word. They were just having fun,” Boey said.

“It was my last day at work,” replied Johnson, whose contract had expired. “I had other things to do, like finding a job.”

Testimony from Johnson, who has been granted bail, continues on Thursday.

Indecent assault carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment in Hong Kong.