The Taiwan High Court on Wednesday last week sentenced Cheng Chia-yao (鄭家堯) to seven years and six months in prison for having sex with a minor.
It was the second ruling in the case and can be appealed.
The High Court found Cheng, 49, guilty on four counts of having sex with a 13-year-old girl.
The legal age of sexual consent in Taiwan is 16.
The Shilin District Court in May last year sentenced Cheng to two years and eight months in prison, which was considered a lenient sentence by many.
The girl has been identified only as “Amy” to protect her identity and her family’s privacy.
The case has drawn media attention, as Cheng is a former boyfriend of Taiwanese singer and actress Ariel Lin (林依晨).
“I would prefer Cheng had received a longer sentence, but I am satisfied with the verdict,” Amy’s father told the Taipei Times, adding that Cheng did not show any remorse and did not apologize to his daughter or the family.
Amy’s parents attended all the court hearings, and the father, a British national, praised Taiwan’s judiciary.
“Throughout the trial, the judges were very good, and the prosecutor was excellent. The legal system did its job,” he said.
“From this case, I would like to encourage other victims of rape to have the courage to come forward and fight. Don’t let these evil pedophiles think they can get away with whatever they want,” Amy’s father said.
“The defendant continued to lie, but was caught out repeatedly. Cheng shows no remorse for the crimes he committed and he should be incarcerated promptly, since he still poses a real danger to children,” her father said.
Cheng met Amy’s father during a bicycle outing in 2013, and used the opportunity to befriend the family and entice Amy to spend time alone with him, the court said in its ruling.
Cheng had sex with Amy at her family’s house in Yilan County while on a trip in 2014, the ruling said.
The victim’s testimony matched investigation findings by prosecutors, the High Court said.
Amy’s parents said the sex was not consensual, and constituted rape of an underaged virgin girl, who was naive about her body and lacked social experience in dealing with a “depraved man.”
Cheng would have been locked up for 10 years in other countries for forcing sex on an underaged girl, they added.
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