Director Chang Tso-chi (張作驥) was indicted by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday on sexual assault charges for allegedly raping a female screenwriter in May.
Prosecutors said the 52-year-old Chang denied committing rape, saying he did not remember what happened that night and that he had been suffering from a back injury that rendered him almost incapable of having intercourse.
They said that on May 13, Chang, staff from his production company and friends dined at his offices in Taipei, and were later joined by the screenwriter, 49.
By 2am the next morning, everyone had left except Chang and the woman, who was drunk, prosecutors said.
The woman alleges that Chang took off her pants, kissed her and then raped her, even though she tried to resist.
Prosecutors said that after the woman left Chang’s offices, she reported the rape to police and went to hospital for an examination.
They claim that the DNA of the specimens of semen taken from the woman and her pants matches Chang’s DNA.
The prosecutors’ office said Chang said he was falsely accused and that the woman was out of her mind.
It said that he provided video filmed on a smartphone by someone at the dinner which showed that at about 1am, the woman was drunk, crying and urging people not to leave the gathering.
However, prosecutors said the footage also showed Chang, who appeared to be sober, which was at odds with his statement that he could not remember what happened that night.
Chang has worked as assistant director for well-known film director Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢). In 1993, he founded his own production company in Taipei.
Chang’s films include When Love Comes (當愛來的時候), which won Best Cinematography at the Golden Horse Awards in Taipei in 2010.
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