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.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
RSS