The boyfriend of Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kao Chia-yu (高嘉瑜) was yesterday questioned by prosecutors after Kao on Tuesday reported that he had abused her.
Raphael Lin (林秉樞) was taken in for questioning at the Grand Forward Hotel in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋) yesterday morning, and police confiscated his mobile phone, iPad and a data storage device, prosecutors said, adding that they have applied to place Lin in judicial detention.
Lin, who does not reside at his registered address, might attempt to flee or tamper with evidence, they said, adding that he has allegedly threatened victims in earlier abuse cases with publishing intimate images of them.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
In the judicial complaint, Kao — who represents Taipei’s Neihu (內湖) and Nangang (南港) districts — accused Lin of physically abusing her during an altercation last month.
Lin might be charged with assault causing bodily harm, coercion, unlawful confinement and breaching Kao’s personal privacy, prosecutors said.
The case was first reported by Mirror Media magazine.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
Lin allegedly beat Kao after he found text messages from a former partner on her phone, the magazine said.
Lin allegedly locked Kao up in a hotel room for two days, it said.
He used intimate images of her to coerce her to not break up with him, the magazine said.
Kao spoke to reporters at the Legislative Yuan yesterday, while her office provided photographs of her injured face, arms and legs.
“It was the darkest hour and most horrifying moment I have encountered in my life,” she said, breaking down several times while describing how Lin allegedly assaulted her.
“I used to present myself as a positive person, so when the attack happened, I felt embarrassed and initially did not know how to react,” she said.
Three days after the incident, she sought treatment at a hospital, she said.
Lin had apologized to her, she said, adding that he told her that it was the first time he had hit a woman and did not know what overcame him during the altercation.
Lin told her that he had been stressed and taking medication to treat a mental disorder, she said.
Cheng Yuan-hsiang (鄭遠翔), a lawyer specializing in domestic violence cases, said: “Kao must stand up and lead by example. She must tell the public about her case and that despite her political status, she is still a potential victim. People must have courage to fight against violence and abuse of women, for the good of our society.”
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
A Vietnamese migrant worker on Thursday won the NT$12 million (US$383,590) jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket she bought from a lottery shop in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The lottery winner, who is in her 30s and married, said she would continue to work in Taiwan and send her winnings to her family in Vietnam to improve their life. More Taiwanese and migrant workers have flocked to the lottery shop on Sec 2 of Jhangshuei Road (彰水路) to share in the luck. The shop owner, surnamed Chen (陳), said that his shop has been open for just
MUST REMAIN FREE: A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would lead to a global conflict, and if the nation blows up, the world’s factories would fall in a week, a minister said Taiwan is like Prague in 1938 facing Adolf Hitler; only if Taiwan remains free and democratic would the world be safe, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The ministry on Saturday said Corriere della Sera is one of Italy’s oldest and most read newspapers, frequently covers European economic and political issues, and that Wu agreed to an interview with the paper’s senior political analyst Massimo Franco in Taipei on Jan. 3. The interview was published on Jan. 26 with the title “Taiwan like Prague in 1938 with Hitler,” the ministry