Taipei prosecutors yesterday said they would appeal the Taiwan High Court's verdict after a Taipei professor accused of sexually assaulting four female students was found not guilty.
The defendant, surnamed Yu (尤) — a former assistant professor at the Graduate Institute of American Studies at Tamkang University — was found not guilty by the Taipei District Court earlier this month.
Yu resigned his position after prosecutors charged him with sexual assault last August.
Prosecutors at the time asked the Taipei District Court to sentence him to five years in prison.
The district court ruling said that although Yu had kissed, had oral sex or intercourse with the four students, the students had consented to the acts, and therefore Yu had not sexually assaulted the students.
The district court ruling added that during the hearing one of the students said she had made a drawing of Yu, while another admitted going to see a gynecologist with Yu.
The students also said they had had positive feelings about Yu, the ruling said.
The ruling said Yu admitted to performing sexual acts with the students, though Yu said he was involved in relationships with them at the time.
It said that although Yu’s behavior was inappropriate, he had not committed a crime.
However, prosecutors said the four victims were graduate school students who were doing their theses under Yu’s direction. They added that they believed Yu had used his authority to force the students to have sexual relations with him.
Yu was suspected of engaging in sexual acts with the women in exchange for writing recommendation letters so that they could apply to schools overseas or find jobs.
Prosecutors added that some of the students had expressed their fear and anger over Yu’s behavior, with one student’s detailing how Yu forced her to perform oral sex on him in the room of a KTV.
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