Macau’s intermediate court has upheld the guilty verdict against a university professor accused of sexually assualting his female student during an on-campus party.
The alleged sexual misconduct happened during the Covid pandemic in 2022 when movement restrictions were largely in place across the city.
The suspect, who was in his 70s and worked for the University of Macau, was found guilty by the Court of First Instance and slapped with a two-year suspended sentence and a seven-month probation.
In his appeal, he claimed that he could not recall the details of the incident and denied any form of sexual harassment, citing reasons such as being too drunk.
However, the Court of Second Instance ruled that the appellant was sober enough to engage in a coherent academic conversation moments before the incident occurred, concluding that he should have been cognitively capable of maintaining self-control.
“It indicates that he was then conscious and was not in a state where he could not be held accountable,” a statement from the court says.
According to the statement, the professor stressed during his appeal that he had never been accused of disrespecting women in his nearly 30-year career.
He also raised concerns about the introduction of the teacher-student relationship into the case and criticised the plaintiff for disclosing the matter on social media, which violated the principles of judicial confidentiality.
The only witness mentioned in the case was said to have not seen the incident, and she did not know the complainant.
However, the intermediate court ruled that there was no motive for the plaintiff who had received a recommendation letter from the appellant to make a false accusation.
