Jail for Ballet Tutor Who Sexually Assaulted Students
Yat-Sen Chang attacked girls at Shepherd's Bush dance academy
Yat-Sen Chang attacked girls aged between 16 and 18
A 49-year-old former ballet tutor has been jailed for nine years after being convicted on twelve counts of sexual assault.
Yat-Sen Chang of Kiel, Germany was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on Wednesday 20 October after being found guilty at a two-week trial back in May.
The offences concerned attacks on four victims aged between 16 and 18 when he was a teacher at the Young Dancers Academy in Shepherd’s Bush as well as at the English National Ballet (ENB) between December 2009 and March 2016.
The former principal dancer at the ENB was first investigated in 2016 when police were contacted by two of his victims.
Following this, two others 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.
Detective Constable Helen Larson, of the West Area Child Abuse Unit, said, “Chang abused his position of trust and power to prey on his young victims when they were most vulnerable. The sentencing today has put a dangerous and predatory individual behind bars, and I am sure that this has prevented further offences taking place.
“The victims showed extreme bravery and courage in reporting the incident and helping us to bring Chang to justice. I hope that the result today brings them some closure so they can begin to move on with their lives.
"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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October 21, 2021