Four Singaporean men were on Friday charged with raping two Taiwanese women and could face a minimum of three years and a maximum of 10 years in prison if convicted, prosecutors at the Taipei Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office said.
Three suspects have been detained while the fourth was released on payment of NT$15,000 bail, but he has to remain in Taiwan due to regulations against him leaving the country and other travel restrictions, prosecutors said.
All four suspects said sex with the two women was consensual.
A Singaporean man, surnamed Lau (劉), an exchange student at a Taipei university, and three Singaporean students surnamed Ong (王), Lim (林) and Tan (陳), who are all about 28 years old, came to Taiwan in December last year.
The men were scheduled to depart together for Singapore on Dec. 12, prosecutors said.
The day before their departure, Lau allegedly invited a Taiwanese woman known as “Siao Fang” (小芳) to their rented apartment for a party.
She invited a female friend, and the six allegedly drank alcohol together until the early morning.
Ong allegedly took Siao Fang, who was inebriated, to a bedroom, where he, Lau and Tan took turns raping her despite her objections, the indictment said.
The three men alledge that Siao Fang said that they could have sex with her if they would “please not hurt my friend.”
However, Lim allegedly took the friend to another bedroom where he forced himself upon her, according to the indictment.
Lau's attorney Chang Chin-feng (張進豐) said the men thought it was consensual sex and the charges should be dropped.
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