A former piano teacher in Edmonton has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two of his students. Daniel Chong, aged 65, was convicted on Tuesday of two counts of sexual assault and two counts of sexual interference. The identities of the victims have been protected by a publication ban. One of the boys, referred to in court as M.J., was 13 years old when the offenses began in 1999. The court heard that Chong groomed M.J. over a period of time and gradually escalated the sexual nature of their contact. Another student, identified as A.R., who was 18 at the time of the offenses in 2009, was also subjected to sexual offenses committed by Chong.
During the trial, Chong admitted to touching his students but claimed it was a part of his teaching method and not sexual in nature. He argued that he always obtained consent from both the students and their parents. However, Justice Shaina Leonard, who presided over the case, found Chong guilty and noted that he described himself as a sixth-generation Franz Liszt scholar with a showy style of playing.
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Chong testified that he had taught piano and music theory to over 2,000 students. His lawyer, Brian Beresh, argued that M.J. was not to be believed, pointing out that even M.J.’s father did not believe him. However, the judge found that M.J.’s father was not a supportive figure in his life and dismissed Chong’s denials as fabricated evidence.
This is not the first time Chong has faced such allegations. In 2012, he was charged with similar offenses that allegedly occurred between 2004 and 2007. However, he was ultimately acquitted.
Chong is currently out on bail, but the court has granted the Crown prosecutor’s request for him to surrender his passport. A sentencing date for his recent convictions has not yet been set.
