Ballet Tutor Faces Jail After Sexually Assaulting Students


Some of his offences took place at a dance academy in Shepherd's Bush

Yat-Sen Chang attacked girls aged between 16 and 18
Yat-Sen Chang attacked girls aged between 16 and 18

A former tutor at a dance academy in Shepherd’s Bush and principal dancer at the English National Ballet had been convicted of 12 counts of sexually assaulting his students.

49-year-old Yat-Sen Chang attacked girls aged between 16 and 18 at Young Dancers Academy as well as the English National Ballet between December 2009 and March 2016.

Now residing at Theatre Kiel in Germany, Chang was found guilty of the offences on Tuesday, 11 May after a two-week trial at Isleworth Crown Court.

This case concerned allegations of sexual assault made by four victims. In 2016, police were contacted by two of the victims who said Chang had assaulted them over a two-year period.

Following this, two other came forward and made similar allegations of instances of sexual assault that occurred during private ballet tuition lessons held by Chang. He was accused of touching his victims inappropriately during massages.

Following these allegations, an investigation was launched by officers from the West Area Child Abuse Unit.

Chang was arrested on 14 April 2016 on suspicion of sexual assault and further interviewed on 27 August 2020 when he denied all allegations against him.

He was charged twice, first on 12 December 2019 and again on 10 November 2020, for a total of 14 counts of sexual assault on four females. These charges related to incidents that occurred between 1 December 2009 and 10 April 2016 including some that took place in his home.
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After a trial that lasted just over two weeks, the jury unanimously convicted Chang of all but one of the charges against him.

He is due to be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday, 18 June with the judge warning a lengthy custodial sentence was likely after remanding him in custody.

Detective Constable Helen Larson, of the West Area Child Abuse Unit, said: “Chang is a dangerous and predatory individual who targeted these young victims. He abused his position of trust and power to prey on them when they were most vulnerable.

“The victims showed extreme bravery and courage in reporting the incident and helping us to bring Chang to justice. I am sure that this will prevent further offences from taking place.

"It remains a top priority for the Met to tackle and prevent instances of sexual assault, putting offenders behind bars and bringing justice to the victims. I encourage anyone who has been a victim or witnessed a sexual assault to contact police. We have specially trained officers who will give advice and take all allegations seriously. You will be supported."

 

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May 11, 2021