Japanese pop idol Kenshin Kamimura has been fined HK$15,000 after he molested a female interpreter in Hong Kong.
The ex-member of boy band ONE N’ ONLY was arrested in March and pleaded not guilty to indecent assault in April.
According to the Associated Press (AP), Kamimura allegedly touched the woman’s thigh repeatedly during a celebratory dinner in Mong Kok and invited her to a bathroom elsewhere. The court heard that the interpreter dismissed his advances and told him she had a partner.
On Wednesday, Judge Peter Yu said the singer touched the woman in a caressing manner, implying a sexual undertone and indecent intent. “The defendant’s acts are obviously disrespectful toward women… Such behaviour should be condemned,” Yu said, according to the AP.
During the trial, Kamimura’s defence told West Kowloon Court that the claims were exaggerated and that the alleged invitation to the bathroom may have been innocent, the AP reported.
The maximum penalty for indecent assault is 10 years in prison, though Kamimura avoided a jail term after his lawyers argued that he had a promising future and had already paid a heavy price.
Kamimura’s contract with ONE N’ ONLY was terminated in March.
