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Pastor indicted on charges of sexually abusing followers
PREVIOUS CONVICTION:
Tang Tai-shen, who was found guilty in 1999 of abusing 30 women in his congregation, is facing the same charges again
By Rich Chang
STAFF REPORTER, WITH AFP
Sunday, Oct 14, 2007, Page 1
Taoyuan prosecutors indicted a pastor on Friday on charges of sexually abusing 13 young female members of his congregation, and were seeking a 15-year prison term.
Tang Tai-shen (唐台生), 58, who has a prior conviction for molestation, is suspected of sexually assaulting the women under the pretext of offering sex counseling in sessions that he videotaped.
OTHERS INDICTED
Eight female staffers, including Tang's daughter-in-law, who was in charge of recruiting members for Tang's congregation, were also indicted on charges of molestation.
Prosecutors are seeking an eight-year sentence for one of those staffers, Wu Ching-jung (鄔金容), Tang's head assistant.
CONFLICTING ACCOUNTS
Prosecutors said that Wu and Tang had sexual intercourse in September last year in front of a female congregation member. Wu then asked the woman to have sex with Tang, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said several women have told them that Tang assaulted them and that they did not consent to having sex. Tang claims the sex was consensual.
SENTENCE
Tang was arrested in June when the sex sessions came to light and has been in police detention since then. He faces a maximum 10-year jail term if convicted of rape and a maximum of five years if found guilty of molestation.
In 1999, Tang was arrested for molesting more than 30 female congregation members and was sentenced to three years and two months in prison in a case that shocked the nation.
He was released in June 2001, after which he continued to recruit young female religious followers, whom he sexually assaulted, prosecutors said.
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