Three daycare attendants in New Taipei City were last week each handed a four-month suspended sentence for punishing a child by placing turtles on his body.
The incident on May 8 last year involved three caregivers surnamed Chen (陳), Kang (康) and Lin (林) at the Wenlin Public Daycare Center in Shulin District (樹林).
After the two-year-old refused to eat, Chen threatened the boy by saying: “If you do not eat, I will get the turtles,” as she knew the child was afraid of the creatures, prosecutors said.
Lin then retrieved a large turtle, which she set on the boy’s desk as Chen placed a small turtle by the boy’s feet, they said.
Kang and Lin then took the two turtles and placed them on the boy’s face, hands and body, causing him to scream as Lin held his head in place, prosecutors said.
The boy’s parents sued the three caregivers, who confessed to the incident during questioning, they added.
As the three defendants forced the boy to endure something which he had no obligation to endure, prosecutors said that theytried the case according to the anti-coercion clause in Article 304 of the Criminal Code.
They also requested a harsher sentence under the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act (兒童及少年福利與權益保障法).
As caregivers, the three defendants should approach the children under their care with compassion, patience and respect, the New Taipei City District Court said in its ruling.
If children are disobedient, they should be handled in a rational and calm manner, and should not be subjected to violence or threats without regard for the children’s mental and physical well-being or age, the court added.
The defendants’ actions recklessly infringed on the child’s freedom, causing psychological damage that would last long after the incident, the court said.
Considering that the defendants confessed to their crimes and expressed remorse, in addition to reaching a settlement with the boy’s parents and paying restitution in a timely manner, the court decided to sentence each of the caregivers to four months in prison, it said.
However, the court said that it is allowing a three-year suspension of the sentences with 20 hours of mandatory coursework for the three caregivers, citing the low risk of recidivism given the legal process that they have experienced.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan would issue a decision at 8pm on whether to cancel work and school tomorrow due to forecasted heavy rain, Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said today. Hsieh told reporters that absent some pressing reason, the four northern cities would announce the decision jointly at 8pm. Keelung is expected to receive between 300mm and 490mm of rain in the period from 2pm today through 2pm tomorrow, Central Weather Administration data showed. Keelung City Government regulations stipulate that school and work can be canceled if rain totals in mountainous or low-elevation areas are forecast to exceed 350mm in
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
1.4nm WAFERS: While TSMC is gearing up to expand its overseas production, it would also continue to invest in Taiwan, company chairman and CEO C.C. Wei said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has applied for permission to construct a new plant in the Central Taiwan Science Park (中部科學園區), which it would use for the production of new high-speed wafers, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council, which supervises three major science parks in Taiwan, confirmed that the Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau had received an application on Friday from TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, to commence work on the new A14 fab. A14 technology, a 1.4 nanometer (nm) process, is designed to drive artificial intelligence transformation by enabling faster computing and greater power
RSS