Television host Mickey Huang (黃子佼) has been sentenced to eight months in prison and fined NT$100,000 (US$3,074) for possession of a large collection of sexually explicit images involving minors and promoting a market for those images.
The verdict can be appealed.
Huang joined an online forum called “Chuangyi Sifang” (Creative Private House, 創意私房) on Feb. 12, 2014, and used the forum to purchase sexually explicit videos and images, a statement released yesterday by the Taipei District Court said.
Photo: Chen Tsai-ling, Taipei Times
An investigation found that he had 2,259 sexual image files that involved at least 35 minors.
The court said it arrived at its decision, because Huang had in his possession a large number of sexually explicit images, showed no remorse for his actions and failed to reach settlements with victims and plaintiffs.
The fine can be converted into community service.
Taiwanese law states that anyone who possesses any sexual image or video of a minor without justification can be imprisoned for no more than one year and fined between NT$30,000 and NT$300,000.
The court said the minors reported that when the sexually explicit images were taken, they were between 10 and 17 years old and attending elementary or high school.
Their faces and body features could be easily identified, and their personal information and data, such as school uniforms and student identity cards, were also revealed, the court found.
These sexual image files were treated as ordinary commodities and put on the online forum for anyone to buy, and photos and screenshots related to the victims’ lives were also illegally highlighted on the forum page and file titles to attract members, the court said.
These files seriously harmed the physical and mental development of the children and teenagers involved, and Huang’s behavior — purchasing and helping to boost video trading — contributed to the harm, it said.
The case first made waves in August last year during an investigation of Huang’s behavior when prosecutors discovered a hard drive at his residence containing sexually explicit videos of several females, seven of whom were underage, prosecutors said.
In May this year, prosecutors indicted Huang based on provisions in the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act (兒童及少年性剝削防制條例), while continuing to investigate the identities of the victims in the sexual images.
On Aug. 12, prosecutors said they discovered another 41 minors involved in the case and sent those findings to the court to be combined for review with the previous indictment. They also sought a prison sentence of seven to nine months for Huang.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS