A senior church member who held a leadership role in a church scout programme has been sentenced to nine years and six months in prison after being found guilty of repeatedly sexually abusing a boy under the age of 14.
The man, identified by the pseudonym “A-Wei”, was convicted of 13 offences involving sexual assault and molestation against the child, whom he had supervised through church scouting activities.
According to court documents, both the accused and the victim were members of the same church in Kaohsiung. As a scout leader, A-Wei was responsible for guiding and mentoring children participating in church-organised activities.
However, prosecutors said he abused that position of trust by repeatedly targeting the boy between February and September 2024.
Investigators found that the accused frequently approached the victim near his home under the pretext of discussing church matters. Despite the boy repeatedly rejecting his advances, A-Wei allegedly carried out forced molestation on at least 10 occasions.
The court further heard that the abuse escalated when the accused allegedly entered the victim’s home several times between February and March 2024 after discovering the front door had been left unlocked.
On multiple occasions, he allegedly entered the residence while the boy was asleep alone in the living room. Prosecutors said the victim woke up during the attacks and repeatedly resisted and pleaded for him to stop, but the assaults continued against his will.
The abuse remained undiscovered until November 2024, when the suspect allegedly attempted to target the boy again inside his bedroom.
On that occasion, the victim’s grandmother reportedly walked into the house and witnessed the incident unfolding. She immediately informed the boy’s mother, who later spoke to her son and learned of the prolonged abuse he had allegedly endured.
The family subsequently filed a police report, leading to a criminal investigation and prosecution.
In its judgment, the court said the accused had betrayed the trust placed in him as a church leader and mentor to children.
Judges noted that he had prioritised his own desires over the welfare and safety of the child, repeatedly violating the victim’s bodily autonomy despite clear objections.
The court also ruled that the repeated offences had caused severe and lasting harm to the victim’s emotional well-being, personal development and mental health.
Although the accused admitted to the offences during proceedings, no settlement was reached with the victim’s family.
The Kaohsiung court convicted him of multiple counts of sexual assault and indecent acts involving a boy under the age of 14 and sentenced him to a total of nine years and six months in prison.
During the trial, the court also issued a six-month protection order prohibiting the accused from approaching, harassing or intimidating the victim and his immediate family members.
The defendant appealed the conviction, but both the High Court’s Kaohsiung branch and Taiwan’s highest court dismissed the appeal, leaving the original sentence unchanged and bringing the case to a final conclusion.
