Raphael Lin (林秉樞), former boyfriend of Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kao Chia-yu (高嘉瑜), was sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison by the New Taipei City District Court yesterday.
Most of the term can be commuted to a fine of NT$780,000.
Lin did not appear in court yesterday, as he had tested positive for COVID-19.
Photo: Tian Yu-hua, Taipei Times
The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January indicted Lin on charges including assault causing injury, unlawful confinement, illegally recording intimate activities, threatening behavior and slander.
A psychiatric assessment of Lin determined that he had full mental capacity at the time of the crime.
The office asked the court to sentence Lin to at least three years in prison, as his behavior was “abominable.”
Prosecutors and police officers found that Lin took intimate images of Kao in September last year, followed by slandering and threatening her in October, as he suspected that she had contacted a former boyfriend.
On Nov. 11 last year, Lin coerced Kao to stay in a room at the Grand Forward Hotel in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋) for two days, forcing her to take off her clothes and proceeding to abuse her, prosecutors said.
On Nov. 24 last year, Lin became angry at Kao after Vice President William Lai (賴清德) did not attend his mother’s funeral, forcing her to kneel and kowtow in front of the funeral hall, they said.
On Nov. 29 last year, after discovering that Mirror Media magazine would report the incident, Lin told Kao that “if I die, you will die too,” prosecutors said.
After the report was published the next day, Lin was detained and held incommunicado by prosecutors.
Kao and her lawyer did not appear in court yesterday, but responded to the ruling in the afternoon.
She said that the sentence was too lenient and “completely unacceptable,” adding that she would “definitely file an appeal.”
Lin was found not guilty of the charge of unlawful confinement, which Kao deemed as “seriously harmful” because he had allegedly hurt more than 10 women who were afraid to come forward.
Hoping that no one else suffers what happened to her, Kao said that she would push for legal amendments to protect victims of abuse.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
Tropical Storm Podul has formed over waters north-northeast of Guam and is expected to approach the seas southeast of Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The 11th Pacific storm of the year developed at 2am over waters about 2,660km east of Oluanpi (歐鑾鼻), Pingtung County — Taiwan's southernmost tip. It is projected to move westward and could have its most significant impact on Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the CWA said. The agency did not rule out the possibility of issuing a sea warning at that time. According to the CWA's latest update, Podul is drifting west-northwest
RSS