It is the first such harassment case in this southernmost province.

Wang Guang, the defendant, was convicted on charges of harassment, which included fondling and kissing the plaintiffs, according to the people's court of Xinhua District.

One of the plaintiffs, a man whose full name was not made public by the court but was referred to as Mr. Wu, was the main victim of Wang's inappropriate conduct, according to the court.

Wu's pregnant wife has threatened to have an abortion and has filed for divorce.

At first, Wu didn't react for fearing of losing his job, as Wang is an advisor on personnel issues for the company where the accusers work.

Later, Wu and the other two young men, who only gave their surnames as Zhao and Yang, found they had fallen victim to the same person. They decided to complain to the court.

The court announced the sentence in the absence of the offender, who had never appeared in front of the judges.

The three accusers are laborers from central China's Hubei Province.