The Taoyuan District Court on Thursday handed down a guilty verdict in a child abuse case that revealed local police had allegedly used a 13-year-old minor in a botched sting operation resulting in her sexual assault.
A man surnamed Chang (張) in early November 2020 used a dating app to solicit the victim — a minor identified by the pseudonym Hsiao-chun (小君) — for sex in exchange for NT$5,000, the court said in the verdict.
When Hsiao-chun tried backing out of the arranged encounter, Chang used nude pictures of her that he had previously obtained to blackmail her into meeting him, which the child reported to Taoyuan Police Department’s Jhongli Precinct, it said.
Photo: Lee Jung-ping, Taipei Times
The detectives handling the case convinced the child with assurances of her personal safety to take part in a sting operation to expose Chang, which took place on Nov. 8 that year at a fast food chain, the court said.
However, Chang picked up the child with his car and drove to a spot near the venue, and the undercover police officers, who were on foot, were unable to catch up with Chang’s car, the court found.
Chang forced the child to perform oral sex before returning her to the restaurant, where he was arrested by police for child exploitation, it said.
Chang was convicted of attempted solicitation of a minor and creating obscene digital recordings of a minor, it said, adding that the charges carried a combined sentence of eight years in prison.
Meanwhile, the Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office said a separate case against the officers is being pursued based on the victim’s testimony.
The precinct said a probe is to be opened to determine whether any misconduct or breach of protocol occurred during the operation, adding that it would cooperate with the Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office.
The child was repeatedly instructed not to get into the man’s car and to stay within the sight of the police officers, a spokesperson of the precinct said on Thursday.
“The girl suddenly got into the car,” the spokesperson said, adding that the two police officers tried to stop the car, but they were not fast enough.
By the time the duo had got in their police car to give chase, the perpetrator’s vehicle had already returned to the restaurant, the spokesperson said.
The Taoyuan Police Department on Saturday issued a statement apologizing for its two policemen’s neglect of the child’s personal safety.
Commenting on the case, Taoyuan-based lawyer Fan Kang-hsiang (范綱祥) said yesterday that there is currently no specific law that governs whether the police are allowed to recruit minors to go undercover in investigations.
However, under the Civil Code, those who intentionally or negligently infringe upon the rights of others could be liable for damages. Given the circumstances of this case, the police officers are highly likely to incur liability for damages, he added.
Additionally, the police are prohibited from inducing people to commit crimes or engage in other unlawful activities when they exercise their power, in accordance with the Police Power Exercise Act (警察職權行使法), Fan said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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