A Beijing teacher was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison by Haidian District People's Court on Tuesday for the rape and molestation of a 17-year-old student.

Zou Mingwu, 39, has also been banned from working with minors for five years after his release. It was the first time a Beijing court had issued such an order, according to authorities.

The court heard Zou, who was previously recognized with the Haidian "backbone teacher" award, forced a female high school student to have sex with him several times since March 2016 after being hired as a private tutor.

The victim, who was not identified, gave testimony via video link to protect her identity and help the judge to clarify the facts, according to a court statement.

Zou denied the allegations of rape, saying the relationship was consensual. After hearing the verdict, he said he would appeal the sentence to a higher court.

"The defendant had no evidence to prove his claim that he and the girl were in a loving relationship," said Qin Shuo, chief judge of the court's juvenile tribunal.

WeChat exchanges between Zou and the student neither included words of affection nor suggested there was any relationship, while footage recorded on surveillance cameras - which the girl requested in her home after being forced to have sex - showed her repeatedly rejecting Zou's advances, including attempts to kiss her and indecent touching, the court said.

The man, as a teacher, seriously violated professional ethics, and his behavior breached laws and regulations, Qin said.

Under the law, those who commit serial rape or sexual assault face heavier punishments, as do people who molest juveniles, according to a guideline released by multiple government agencies.

"The ban on Zou working with minors aims to prevent him from committing further crimes and to guarantee a healthy education environment for juveniles," Qin said.

Tong Lihua, a lawyer specializing in the protection of minors, applauded the ban, but argued it may not be tough enough.

"Government departments, including education, civil affairs and public security, should set up a unified information system for education and child care agencies so they can check if employees have previously committed unlawful acts," he said. "That would truly help improve the education environment."

Statistics from the Supreme People's Court released in June show courts nationwide concluded 10,782 cases involving the molestation of juveniles between 2013 and 2016.

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