Yat-Sen Chang: Revered ballet dancer groped pupils, court told

Yat-Sen Chang has danced with companies in Cuba and France as well as with the English National Ballet

A former English National Ballet principal dancer used his "power and prestige" to grope young students, a court has heard.

Yat-Sen Chang, 49, is charged with 14 counts of sexual assault on a female aged 16 or over.

The alleged offences are said to have happened at the English National Ballet and Young Dancers Academy in London between December 2009 and March 2016.

Mr Chang, who is from Cuba and lives in Germany, denies all the charges.

A jury at Isleworth Crown Court was told that the "internationally renowned" dancer was "revered" by young students.

The charges relate to four females, who were aged between 16 and 18, and accused Mr Chang of touching them inappropriately during massages at the schools.

The prosecution said the first complainant recalled Mr Chang was breathing heavily while massaging her leg after she complained of a tight muscle, which she described as "creepy breathing".

The 49-year-old is on trial at Isleworth Crown Court

She "thought it was a bit weird" and that it "didn't feel like a sports massage", saying that he had touched her "in an intimate area", said barrister Joel Smith.

Jurors were also told the defendant had undressed in front of the complainant after leading her into the men's changing rooms, and on another occasion tried to climb into a shower with her.

Mr Chang's behaviour became "more forceful and more explicit", Mr Smith said, with the defendant pinning the teenager to the floor on one occasion.

A second alleged victim described how she "kind of froze" while Mr Chang massaged her, while another described his actions as "scaring me a lot".

'Giggling'

The fourth complainant accused Mr Chang of sexually abusing her in a toilet, causing her to be in pain, Mr Smith said.

The jury was told that Mr Chang would be "giggling" or "laughing" during the assaults.

Mr Smith said: "He trusted that his fame and his position would protect him from complaint, or from consequences of his actions.

"The story of this case is sadly often heard - it is a man with power and prestige using them to abuse younger women."

In a profile on the German Theatre Kiel website, Mr Chang is said to have joined the English National Ballet in 1993 and was a principal dancer until 2011, performing in productions which included The Nutcracker, Coppelia and Sleeping Beauty.