A 33-year-old man, Yip Kin-to, was sentenced to six years in prison for blackmailing a 13-year-old girl into sexual acts, with Justice Anthony Kwok Kai-on condemning his actions as a despicable exploitation of the victim’s past trauma.
The court heard that Yip contacted the victim via Instagram, threatening to disclose her prior assault unless she engaged in sexual acts. He coerced her into sexual acts on two occasions and subsequently demanded either completion of acts or payment of HK$40,000 over two years.
Justice Kwok condemned Yip’s actions as “despicable” and “selfish,” noting that the victim was under 14 at the time of the incidents. Her immaturity was exploited, causing significant anxiety and severe psychological trauma, including depression and suicide attempts.
Yip previously pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 and one count of extortion. After consideration of the aggravating factors, including repeated offenses and the exploitation of the victim’s immaturity, Justice Kwok set Yip’s sentence at six years in prison.
