A Hong Kong court has sentenced a university student to 10 days in prison for the indecent assault of two women on the MTR.

Wong Chun-ho, a student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), appeared before Magistrate Amy Chan at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday, after previously pleading guilty to two counts of indecent assault, according to local media.

Chan said that the 20-year-old student touched the buttocks of one woman and the hem of another woman’s skirt in an MTR carriage within the span of 10 minutes, noting that his actions would have gone unpunished if they had not been exposed.

According to case details read out in court, one of the victims, X, was standing in a Tuen Ma Line train carriage on March 22 at around 10pm, when she felt someone touching her buttocks for about five seconds.

She turned around and saw the defendant, Wong.

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Another victim, Y, was leaning against a handrail when she noticed the defendant standing close behind her and felt someone touching the hem of her skirt. X saw this and recorded the incident on video.

The two women reported the case to the police and posted the footage online, after which the defendant gave himself up to the police.

Wong said under police caution that he grabbed Y’s skirt because he was “curious” and claimed he touched X because he lost his balance, but did not move his hand away immediately as he “could not control himself.”

‘Bright future’

In mitigation, the defence cited probation and community service reports, saying that the defendant had witnessed his father’s domestic violence against his mother during his childhood. He “had a lot of trauma” and struggled to express his emotions, his lawyer added.

The defence also said Wong surrendered to the police, pleaded guilty, and was willing to seek professional help.

Wong, a student at CUHK, had a “bright future” and was “only 20 years old,” the lawyer told the court.

The defence noted that the probation and community service reports recommended an 18-month probation order rather than a custodial sentence.

However, the magistrate rejected the recommendation, saying the court wanted to send a message that “there is zero tolerance for indecent assault on public transportation.”

Chan adopted a starting point of three weeks in prison but reduced his sentence to 10 days after considering his guilty plea and surrender.