Movie director Doze Niu (鈕承澤) was yesterday found guilty of sexually assaulting a film crew member after a party at his residence in 2018 and sentenced to four years in prison.
The Taipei District Court said that it found sufficient evidence that Niu had forced himself on the woman, infringed upon her right to sexual autonomy, inflicted psychological damage by degrading her human dignity and likely traumatized her for life.
While Niu, known for his films Monga (艋舺) and Love (愛), did not comment on the verdict, his lawyer said that the 53-year-old director would appeal.
Niu was working on the film Horse Racing (跑馬) in November 2018 when he hosted a gathering at his home, to which production executives took the woman, identified only as “A.”
She said that after the executives left, Niu forced himself on her on a sofa, and while she tried to fight him off, he was able to remove her clothing and assault her.
Prosecutors told the court that a saliva sample collected from the woman’s chest matched Niu’s DNA, while medical reports showed that she had sustained bruising and lacerations on her genitals that were consistent with her account of the assault.
Niu initially claimed that he could not remember the incident as he had been drunk, but later denied the allegations, saying that he “made a mistake, but did not commit a crime.”
During the trial, Niu told the court he believed that he and the woman were “starting a romantic relationship” and that he had not done anything against her will.
His lawyer asked for a suspended sentence and for Niu not to have to serve time in prison if found guilty.
However, the court ruled that Niu had shown no remorse and had taken advantage of his position as a director to speak to the media to circulate reports that the woman had been infatuated with him and had not refused his advances, which demonstrated that he did not respect her right to sexual autonomy or the concept of sexual equality, and thus deserved a jail sentence.
Separately yesterday, entertainer and show host Chin Wei (秦偉) reported to the Nantou District Prosecutors’ Office to begin serving an eight-year sentence for the sexual assault of two women.
The Supreme Court on Thursday last week rejected Chin’s appeal of his conviction and upheld the four-year prison terms imposed for each conviction in the final ruling on the case.
Chin, 54, was in 2016 indicted after eight women filed complaints alleging that he had sexually assaulted them in cases dating to 2010.
Additional reporting by CNA
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