Warning: this story contains descriptions of sexual assault
In a Victoria courtroom today, a retired naval commander and former leader in the Chinese Community Kit Wong was convicted of 9 sexual offences.
Wong was sentenced to two years less a day in prison, after entering a guilty plea over 8 counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Wong was arrested on August 14, 2018, on four charges of sexual assault against four women which occurred in 2005 and 2006 in his home-based business where he practiced acupuncture, massage therapy, and traditional Chinese medicine.
Wong’s last posting in the Candian Forces was at CFB Esquimalt, and though he didn’t work on a medical unit, he offered many service members his treatments.
“For that reason, we believe that there are other victims out in the public, and certainly given his position in the military, across Canada,” said Det. Graeme Leblanc of the Victoria Police Department’s special victim’s unit when police announced charges in 2018.
A year later in December of 2019, Victoria Police added seven more charges of sexual assault including sexual exploitation of a minor. One of the offences, happened a few days before his arrest.
CHEK News spoke to one of Wong’s survivors, whose identity remains protected under a publication ban.
“Do I feel like the sentence was reflective of the destruction that he has caused to so many lives? No,” said the sexual assault survivor.
In 2011, Wong was disciplined by the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners over sexual assault allegations. Wong was prohibited from being in the presence of a female patient without a chaperon present.
In 2014, after later carrying out an inquiry the College found that Wong had committed professional misconduct with sexual intent “by touching the breasts and genitalia of female patients in a sexual nature.” As a result, his registration was revoked.
The College did not report Wong’s actions to police.
“What happened to me and the other survivors, happened behind closed doors when we were at our most vulnerable, while we were reaching out for help. His position as a respected man made it harder for his victims to come forward and speak their truth, and much harder to ever reconcile the various levels of shame that I know I have felt over the years since I was assaulted,” the survivor told CHEK News.
Of the total 11 counts of sexual assault Wong faced, two counts were dropped by Crown counsel.
Wong has now begun serving his two-year sentence. He will remain on the sex offender registry for 20 years. Upon release, he faces a three-year probation and 10-year firearm prohibition.
If you have been a victim of sexualized violence, you can contact the Victoria Sexual Assault Centre at 250-383-3232.
Kori Sidaway
