New Taipei City prosecutors yesterday filed assault and coercion charges against a man surnamed Lin (林) after a video of him apparently beating his wife and child over a trivial matter was widely circulated, sparking a public outcry over domestic violence.
The alleged incident took place on the night of Jan. 12, when the 42-year-old instructed his 11-year-old son to buy bawan (肉圓), meatballs made with gelatinous dough, from a vendor in New Taipei City’s Lujhou District (蘆洲).
The indictment says that Lin became angry because his son forgot to ask the vendor for hot sauce, and then yelled at the boy and accused him of lying while his wife, surnamed Lee (李), tried to intervene and protect their son.
Photo: CNA
The video appears to show Lin angrily putting his wife in a headlock before throwing her to the floor, and repeatedly slapping his son on the face and punching him in the torso.
It also appears to show Lin kicking his wife as she lies on the floor.
Lee later took herself and their son to a local hospital for an examination.
The indictment cites injury assessments from medical records as showing that Lee sustained a neck injury, as well as bruises, scrapes and swelling in her head, arms and other parts of the body, while the boy sustained injuries and bruises on most of his body.
After the video circulated online, a large crowd on Jan. 13 gathered in front of the family’s residence, where seven people forced their way inside and reportedly tried to assault Lin.
After that incident, Lin went to a local police station to address reporters and bowed six times in apology.
However, many felt that Lin’s apology was contrived, as he appeared to be making excuses for his actions by saying that he became violent after drinking alcohol and that he was attempting to discipline his son to teach him a lesson.
Public sympathy has leaned toward Lee and the boy, as she reportedly told investigators that it was not the first time Lin had assaulted them.
Lee later said that she would seek a divorce to protect her child, adding that she has had enough of Lin’s violent temper and physical abuse.
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