Hong Kong ‘Professor Devil’ dating coach maintains innocence despite convictions for trade description law breaches after he fleeced 2 victims of HK$540,000
2023.06.15 19:44A Hong Kong YouTuber who charged two men more than HK$540,000 (US$69,000) for dating advice maintained his innocence despite a conviction for breach of trade description laws and insisted he was entitled to demand six-figure fees from his “disciples”.Chau Pak-yin on Thursday insisted he was the victim in the case where two complainants said they were charged many times more than what the self-styled dating coach at first asked for.“I’ve never deceived anybody or gotten into any trouble. I have over a thousand disciples but only those two damn rats come out and mess with me,” the 33-year-old told Eastern Court after his conviction.The trial earlier this year heard Chau, nicknamed “Professor Devil”, had set up a YouTube channel and an account on self-publishing platform Patreon to offer tips to single men on how to flirt and seduce women.The internet personality early last year demanded HK$38,200 and HK$78,000 for hands-on coaching for clients Chang Hin-shing and Chan Pak
A Hong Kong YouTuber who charged two men more than HK$540,000 (US$69,000) for dating advice maintained his innocence despite a conviction for breach of trade description laws and insisted he was entitled to demand six-figure fees from his “disciples”.
Chau Pak-yin on Thursday insisted he was the victim in the case where two complainants said they were charged many times more than what the self-styled dating coach at first asked for.
“I’ve never deceived anybody or gotten into any trouble. I have over a thousand disciples but only those two damn rats come out and mess with me,” the 33-year-old told Eastern Court after his conviction.
The trial earlier this year heard Chau, nicknamed “Professor Devil”, had set up a YouTube channel and an account on self-publishing platform Patreon to offer tips to single men on how to flirt and seduce women.
The internet personality early last year demanded HK$38,200 and HK$78,000 for hands-on coaching for clients Chang Hin-shing and Chan Pak-hang, respectively.
But Chan was asked to pay another HK$330,000 for a gold Omega watch and Chang was later charged an extra HK$100,000 to fund a wardrobe makeover for him.
The pair told the court they were refused further sessions with Chau until they paid up.
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Chang also complained the defendant had published videos of him “practising” the techniques in public venues without his consent and refused to remove them until he was given the cash to pay for the clothing.
Magistrate Philip Chan Chee-fai found Chau guilty of two counts of misleading omissions in a commercial practice.
He said that Chau’s clients would not have agreed to join his classes if they knew they had to pay three to five times more than what appeared to be a one-off tuition fee.
The depictions of the online dating courses were laid out in a manner that was unclear and unintelligible, the magistrate added.
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But Chau claimed after the verdict was handed down he was a victim of “character assassination” by the customs department, which carried out the investigation into the allegations, and he maintained the two clients had paid the extra money voluntarily.
He also alleged that Chan was galvanised to file a report to customs officers because of news reports about his high-profile arrest.
The magistrate adjourned the case until next month for a report on Chau’s suitability for community service.
Engaging in a misleading commercial practice is punishable by two years in jail and a HK$100,000 fine under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance when the case is heard before a magistrate.
The court may also order offenders to pay a reasonable amount to compensate victims for their losses.
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