Rapist father jailed for 15 years

A High Court judge yesterday strongly condemned a pharmaceutical salesman as "utterly inhumane and monstrously selfish," before sentencing him to 15 years in jail for a series of sexual offenses against his daughter.

The defendant, identified as CSL, initially pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape, two counts of indecent assault and two counts of indecency with children under 16. He has been convicted on all six counts.

The victim, identified as X and now 15 years old, said in her psychological report that she would never forgive her father and wished to never see him again.

The abuse began in 2016 when X was only eight years old and continued until March 2021. Throughout this period, X endured repeated severe assaults.

According to the prosecution, the first incident occurred when X was eight years old. CSL initiated contact under the guise of a bedtime routine, which escalated to an attempted rape. Shortly after the initial assault, he forced her to perform oral sex.

Deputy Judge Anthony Kwok Kai-on referred to X's psychological report, which revealed that she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the assaults.

She considered herself "unworthy of being loved" and experienced anxiety before testifying in court. X also had suicidal thoughts and required ongoing psychological counseling.

During the sentencing, Kwok emphasized the gravity of the defendant's actions, saying: "that sexually abusing his own daughter since she was eight years old significantly aggravated the case."

"The defendant had failed in his duty to care for his daughter and provide a safe environment for her to grow up," he said. "Instead, he treated her as an object for his own lust."

Kwok added that the defendant's offenses had completely destroyed X's childhood and inflicted irreparable trauma upon her.

Given the defendant's lack of remorse, Kwok refused to reduce the sentence and imposed a starting point of 14 years for the offense of rape. With the inclusion of the other offenses, the total sentence amounted to 15 years' imprisonment.

In a separate case, a 29-year-old internet celebrity named Zack Tse Min-ho appeared in the Fanling Magistrates' Court on charges of raping and indecently assaulting four young women.

Magistrate Frances Leung Nga-yan adjourned the case until Friday to allow for further police investigation, including an identification parade.

Tse, who claimed to be a construction worker, faces two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and one count of procuring an unlawful sexual act by threats. He will remain in police custody until his next court appearance on Friday.

The earliest offense involving Tse occurred in March 2017 when he allegedly coerced woman A into an unlawful sexual act in a flat at a private housing estate in Sheung Shui.

In 2019, Tse was accused of raping woman B in a flat at The Met. Acappella, a private housing estate on Sha Tin Heights Road in Tai Wai. He was accused of sexually assault woman C on February 12 and allegedly raped woman D on June 19, with both incidents occurring at the same flat in 2020.

Tse's offenses came to light after a TV program aired last week, exposing the influencer with a fan base of 10,000 followers on Instagram who had taken advantage of teenage girls using his fame.