A man with multiple previous sexual offence convictions has been sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of molesting a primary school girl in New Taipei City, Taiwan.
The man, surnamed Liu, encountered the fifth-grade girl, who was his neighbour, while riding an elevator at their residential building on April 20.
According to the court ruling, Liu gave the girl a NT$50 coin before following her out of the elevator when they reached her floor.
He then allegedly asked her, “Can I touch your breasts?” The girl replied that he could not, but Liu nevertheless reached out and touched her chest.
The girl pushed his hand away and fled the scene before telling her father what had happened. She later went to the police station with her father to report the incident.
During the trial, Liu and his lawyer denied the charge. They argued that he had merely reached out and touched the girl suddenly, claiming the act was closer to sexual harassment than sexual assault.
They also argued that Liu had asked for the girl’s consent before touching her and that, because she had been given an opportunity to refuse or defend herself, his conduct should not warrant a heavier sentence.
The New Taipei District Court rejected the argument, ruling that the girl had clearly expressed her refusal but Liu continued to touch her until she pushed his hand away.
The court found that the act was not merely a brief or unexpected inappropriate touch, but an intentional use of force that violated the girl’s sexual autonomy, constituting forced indecency.
The court also noted that Liu had previously spoken with the girl and knew she was a fifth-grade primary school student. This meant he was aware that she was under 14, and the court found that he had deliberately committed the indecent act against a minor.
In determining the sentence, the court said Liu had acted to satisfy his own sexual desires, disregarded the girl’s wishes and caused her psychological and emotional trauma.
The court also took into consideration his previous convictions in 1997, 2005 and 2020 for offences involving sexual acts against minors, sexual intercourse with minors and inducing minors to produce sexually explicit images.
Liu was sentenced to four years in prison for forced indecency. He has the right to appeal.
