10-year sentence for Winnipeg taekwondo instructor charged with sex assault
King Yeung pleaded guilty to sexual interference, sexual exploitation charges in December
A Winnipeg taekwondo instructor who pleaded guilty to charges related to sexually assaulting three of his former students has been sentenced to 10 years behind bars.
In May 2016, King Yeung was charged with child abuse, sexual exploitation and other offences related to incidents that took place between 1998 and 2012.
Charges were laid against Yeung on May 4 and May 9 of last year, when two individuals came forward saying Yeung inappropriately touched them and sexually assaulted them while they were students at Kang's Academy, where Yeung was the chief instructor.
A third person came forward to police later that month, saying they were also sexually assaulted on multiple occasions by Yeung.
All of the victims were under the age of 16 at the time of the offences.
In December, Yeung entered guilty pleas to charges of sexual interference and sexual exploitation.
His lawyer, Matt Gould, said at the time that Yeung wanted to spare the complainants from a lengthy trial and to have the matter resolved quickly.
The victims' names cannot be published under a court-ordered publication ban.
One of his victims who attended the sentencing said she forgives Yeung, but didn't want to comment on the sentence.
"I'm no longer a victim, I am a survivor," she said.
"I want to thank the police and the Crown for their incredible work and support over the last year."
Gould said Thursday that the sentence was severe.
"For Mr. Yeung sitting in that courtroom, it's the realization that the sentence being handed down is a decade. It's a huge portion at any measure. It's a significant and severe sentence and it's something that he has to live with and that he's accepted,"
Gould said Yeung would not even have a conversation about the possibility of an appeal after the sentencing.
"His intention is to take the time that he will be serving and use that in the most productive way possible, continue on with his treatment, continue with his therapy."
Police initially charged Yeung in May of 2016 for offences that took place between 2009 and 2012 and while he was in custody, a second victim came forward saying they were also inappropriately touched and sexually assaulted by Yeung over a period from 1998 to 2004.
The third person told police they were assaulted by Yeung between 2001 and 2005.
Yeung will serve 10 years, less 612 days he's already spent in jail. He was given 4½ years for each of two victims, plus one year for a third victim.
Yeung will also have to provide a sample of his DNA and be registered as a sex offender for the remainder of his life. He is also prohibited from contacting any of the victims, or attending a public place where anyone under the age of 18 is likely to be, including schools, parks, or community centres, without supervision.
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