A 20-year-old Hong Kong student, identified only by his initials LYF, has been sentenced to up to nine months’ detention at a training centre for coercing two 12-year-old girls into sending him more than 250 nude photographs. The District Court found him guilty on two counts of inciting a child under 16 to commit a grossly indecent act.
The offences came to light after the suicide of one victim, identified as X, in March 2023. Her father discovered that between December 2022 and February 2023, the accused had repeatedly requested explicit photos via WhatsApp and Instagram. Police investigations confirmed that X had sent 190 photos, while another girl, Y, her schoolmate, had sent at least 67 photos and six videos showing sexually provocative poses.
LYF admitted to soliciting images from X, even offering small sums of money when she initially refused, though he claimed he returned all payments. Psychologists from the Correctional Services Department assessed him as high risk for reoffending, citing paedophilic tendencies and a preoccupation with online pornography.
Deputy Judge Raymond Wong Kwok-fai sentenced the student to the detention centre, noting that disciplinary training and psychological counselling would help rehabilitate him.
