Yuen Long district councillor jailed for 2.5 years over unlawful sexual intercourse with 13-year-old girl

A Yuen Long district councillor found guilty of having unlawful intercourse with a girl under 16 has been jailed for two and a half years, with the judge saying he lacked remorse.

Yuen Long district councillor Sei Chun-hing. Photo: Sei Chun-hing, via Facebook.

Sei Chun-hing was sentenced at the District Court on Monday after his conviction in September. He was found guilty of having unlawful intercourse with a girl known to the court as X over a decade ago, but acquitted of indecent assault against the same person.

X was 11 at the time of the alleged indecent offence, and 13 when the sexual intercourse occurred.

Handing down the sentence, Judge Stanley Chan said Sei showed no regret over his actions and noted that the defence did not acknowledge the trauma experienced by X, who was in a relationship with Sei at the time.

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Sei also did not use a condom, therefore exposing X to the risks of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, Chan said.

The defence submitted nine mitigation letters, including ones written by his wife – who said Sei was a responsible and good husband – and District Council colleagues. Sei himself did not submit a letter.

‘Positive life mentor’

Chan said on Monday that sexual crimes involving young children must be punished with deterrent sentences. Courts must protect young children who are prone to trust others, he said.

The judge added that Sei had relied on X’s strong feelings for him to take her virginity.

District Court in Wan Chai. File photo: HKFP.

He said while the mitigation letters praised Sei as a “positive life mentor” and for making contributions to society, Sei’s behaviour in relation to X showed that his actual character was quite different.

The maximum sentence for having unlawful intercourse with a girl under 16 is five years.

A member of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, the city’s largest pro-Beijing party, Sei was elected to Yuen Long District Council in 2023.

Authorities said after the conviction that they would appoint a committee to investigate Sei. Possible outcomes include warnings, financial penalties, and suspension.