Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Kao Chia-yu’s (高嘉瑜) lawyer, Li Yung-yu (李永裕), yesterday handed over materials to the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in a case probing allegations that Kao’s ex-boyfriend Raphael Lin (林秉樞) assaulted her.
The materials reportedly include intimate videos and photographs of the couple.
Li told reporters that Kao is still fearful of Lin, even after reporting the case to the judiciary, because Lin has intimate photos and videos of her, and has allegedly sent them to his associates.
Photo: CNA
Li said he had gotten hold of the photos and videos allegedly made by Lin, some without Kao’s knowledge.
“We handed these to the prosecutors today. One video shows Kao clearly under duress and coerced into making an admission,” Li said.
“This video was made on Nov. 12, the day after Kao was beaten up severely in a hotel room,” he said.
Li said these amounted to incriminating evidence against Lin, adding that there are other photos and videos taken in June and July, but these would need clarification from Kao.
The video taken on Nov. 12 is an alleged attempt by Lin to force Kao to say that the beating was due to her own fault, Li said.
The 19-second video appears to show Kao with bruises on her face and body. She lies on a bed and speaks in a weak voice as Lin allegedly holds a recording device and asks questions, with Kao answering “yes.”
Li said had Kao answered otherwise, she could have been beaten further.
He urged police and prosecutors to conduct further searches, as one storage device has been seized from Lin, but another reportedly remains missing.
Li said the missing device contains more intimate photos and videos of Kao, as well as similar materials of other women allegedly taken by Lin.
Li called for amending legislation on “revenge porn,” saying that in cases similar to Kao’s, victims are afraid of making the abuse public and filing a judicial complaint.
“The laws should be amended to state that if a couple consent to take intimate photos, but later break up, the man should be required to delete the images upon the woman’s request and refusal to comply should be deemed unlawful,” he said.
Lin, 43, has been detained with restricted communication. He was arrested last week, after Kao accused him of assaulting her, confining her to a hotel room and threatening her not to tell others about the incident.
Prosecutors said that based on their investigation, they are likely to charge Lin with seven criminal offenses: assault causing bodily harm, violating personal privacy, coercion, threats, unlawful confinement, offenses against computer security and “possessing obscene video recordings with intent to distribute.”
Meanwhile, Kao attended legislative committee meetings at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday afternoon. She was surrounded by reporters asking her questions about the case.
Kao only said the investigation is still ongoing and the proceedings are being handled by her lawyer and the justice system.
“I just hope that in the future nobody becomes a victim like me,” Kao said.
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