Description
An aspiring Rothwell Buddhist who sexually abused two women and hoarded indecent images of children has been jailed.
Harvy Tak targeted two women between 2016 and 2023, filming both of them as they performed sex acts, Leeds Crown Court heard on Friday.
The court heard that Tak's first victim was handcuffed and blindfolded and was unaware he was filming her at the time. It was also said that she had set boundaries for the consensual sexual activity, which Tak ignored, leading to him being convicted for rape following a trial.
Her Honour Judge Rayfield told Tak as she sentenced him: "She made it clear to you and you made a promise...You were not entitled to ignore the caveat she asked of you but you continued to ignore it knowing that she didn't want that. I can't be sure whether you planned to do that from the outset.
"I will give you the benefit of the doubt that it was impulsive."
The court heard the young woman did not know that Tak had filmed the sexual activity. The judge said: "She was horrified and asked you to delete it but you wouldn't, demonstrating you put your own sexual needs and desires above hers. Over the years, you oscillated between agreeing to delete it and blackmailing her, telling her you wouldn't delete it until she agreed to meet your sexual demands."
It was said that when police arrested Tak in 2023, they seized a number of devices and discovered indecent images of children at categories A, B, and C.
He was released under investigation and it was found he had targeted another young woman. He again filmed them taking part in consensual sexual activity. The judge told Tak: "While she knew you recorded the act for your own personal use, what she didn't know is you retained that until the police found it.
"She was very upset that you still had that image of such a private act in your possession and describes one occasion where you showed her an image of a five-to-eight-year-old engaging in sexual activity with an adult man and you enquired whether this was the kind of activity she would be interested in.
"You told her you had accessed images from the dark web which enabled you to hide your IP address."
The court heard police discovered more indecent images at category A, B and C when Tak was arrested.
Prosecutor Michael Greenhalgh summarised the first victim's impact statement, in which she said she had suffered from anxiety between the offences taking place and her initial report to police. She said she was "ashamed" and "felt dirty."
She added: "Because I felt so low I believed at the time that by letting him abuse me in that way I was protecting others. It made me feel I wasn't worthy. When I reported this, my anxiety increased. I was scared he would turn up at my house. At times it would cause me to shut down.
"I was afraid of bumping into him and I get seeing him in my nightmares where he was oblivious about what he did to me, which made me more anxious about sleeping. I didn't want to sleep and would go to sleep very late and wake up early to avoid it. Sometimes I crash out where I am. I started drinking more caffeine."
In her statement, the second victim said: "This has caused my to develop severe anxiety and PTSD. I find it distressing to go to where the crime occurred. The crime has overall affected every manner of my relationships and has caused me to become very paranoid and not trusting of those around me.
"I find it difficult to connect in a healthy manner and I don't let people get too close. It has affected my ability to work, especially during the proceedings in the case and has left me with no choice but to be unemployed for the near future. My anxiety makes it extremely difficult to perform in work places."
Mitigating, Jane Brady, told the court Tak has a diagnosis of autism. She said: "He was [at the time of the offending] a much younger man who was deferential to authority. He is from a strict Chinese, Buddhist family who intended him to become a Buddhist."
It was said Tak was bullied at school and "isolated" due to being from the "only non-white family in Rothwell."
Ms Brady said: "The [pre-sentence] report acknowledges he had an isolated childhood which resulted in him being ill-prepared for relationships...His feelings are of great shame and reluctance to engage in the process but he will unequivocally not offend again."
Judge Rayfield jailed Tak for eight years and made him the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order until further order.