The Taiwan High Court yesterday sentenced former New Party legislator Elmer Feng (馮滬祥) to six months in prison for the rape of his Filipina housekeeper in November 2003.
The High Court convicted Feng of sexual assault, saying he had abused his position of power, because he had employed the victim as a maid. Judges yesterday handed down a one-year prison sentence, which can be reduced by half to six months under a commutation bill passed in 2007. Feng may also pay a fine in lieu of serving his prison sentence.
Judges found Feng guilty of the charges against him because prosecutors and forensic scientists found DNA on the maid’s underwear that matched Feng’s. Judges also said there was no way to prove the authenticity of Feng’s claims that he was framed by his former housekeeper.
PHOTO: CNA
Feng told judges that his former maid, identified only as Rose, had framed him by taking semen from a condom he had used when having intercourse with his wife and smearing it inside her underwear.
Immediately after the alleged rape, Feng paid her NT$800,000 (US$25,000) and sent her back to the Philippines.
The Taipei District Court originally sentenced Feng to four years in jail. He then appealed to the High Court. After the original verdict was upheld, Feng appealed to the Taiwan Supreme Court, where his defense presented a statement from forensic expert Henry Lee (李昌鈺) casting doubt on the pattern of the semen stains.
The Supreme Court then returned the case to the High Court for a new trial. In January last year, High Court judges decided to uphold his four-year sentence.
Feng then filed another appeal of the ruling to the Supreme Court, which again returned the case to the High Court.
Yesterday’s ruling is not final and Feng said he would appeal.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
RSS