UM professor guilty of sexually assaulting student

The intermediate court has upheld the conviction of a university professor accused of sexually assaulting one of his female students during an on-campus party in 2022.

The 70-year-old professor, who worked at the University of Macau(UM), was initially found guilty by the Court of First Instance and sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence and a seven-month probation.

In his appeal, the professor claimed he could not recall the details of the incident and denied any sexual harassment, citing intoxication as the reason.

However, the Court of Second Instance has rejected the professor’s defense.

The court said the professor was able to have a clear, intelligent conversation shortly before the alleged assault, showing he was sober enough to control his actions and to be held responsible for what happened.

“It indicates that he was then conscious and was not in a state where he could not be held accountable,” the court said.

During the appeal, the professor raised concerns about the introduction of the teacher-student relationship into the case and criticized the student for disclosing the matter on social media, which he claimed violated the principles of judicial confidentiality.

Nevertheless, the intermediate court ruled there was no evident motive for the student, who had received a recommendation letter from the professor, to make a false accusation.

The only witness mentioned in the case was said to have not seen the incident and did not know the complainant.

Despite this, the court upheld the professor’s conviction, stating the evidence presented was sufficient to support the finding of guilt. VC