The Taiwan High Court yesterday ordered a man convicted of French kissing and robbing an 11-year-old girl to pay NT$500,200 (US$16,700) in compensation to the girl and her family for their mental anguish.
The man, surnamed Chen (陳), was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison by the Banciao District Court in April last year on charges of coercive indecency and robbery.
The High Court made the ruling after the girl’s parents filed a supplementary civil action demanding NT$1.4 million in compensation.
According to the court ruling, Chen on Jan. 7, 2011, pulled the elementary-school student into the staircase of an apartment in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Sinjhuang District (新莊) after he saw her jaywalking and threatened to tell her teachers.
The verdict said Chen initially demanded that the student raise her head and stick out her tongue.
After the girl refused to comply, Chen made a threatening gesture and browbeat her into letting him French kiss her, it said.
Chen then robbed the student of NT$200, before kissing her again, the verdict said.
The verdict said that when questioned by police, Chen said that he was merely trying to educate the girl as a “benevolent citizen” and only took her to the staircase because it was cold outside.
During his trial, Chen again denied any wrongdoing and said he could only pay the victim’s family up to NT$3,000 “out of moral obligation” because he did not have a stable source of income.
Chen also asked the judge to give him a suspended prison sentence, the verdict said.
However, the High Court ruled in favor of the victim’s parents, saying it was reprehensible that Chen molested and robbed a girl merely to satisfy his personal urges.
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