The Control Yuan yesterday announced it has censured the Taipei City Government after an investigation found significant failures in the handling of a child sexual assault case at a preschool in 2022 and 2023.
Private preschool teacher Mao Chun-shen (毛畯珅) was last year convicted on charges of sexually abusing children at Taipei Piramide School (私立培諾米達信義幼兒園), which was owned by his mother.
The abuse was revealed in 2023, leading to the school’s license being revoked and disciplinary action taken against some staff members.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Mao was found guilty on 11 counts of sexual assault, 207 counts of indecent assault and six counts of filming obscene images. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison, which was last month extended by a further eight months after 39 more victims were identified.
The case remains ongoing at the Taipei District Court.
The Control Yuan’s investigation, conducted by members Yeh Ta-hua (葉大華), Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) and Chi Hui-jung (紀惠容), found that since an initial report was received in July 2022, the Taipei City Government, under then-mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), failed to conduct proper investigations and follow up on the matter.
The investigation found seven major oversights by the city government, including failure to conduct proper on-site investigations, implement a dedicated response unit and immediately suspend the suspect, which allowed him to perpetrate further acts of sexual assault, the members said.
The Control Yuan also said that the city government failed to coordinate effectively with education and social welfare agencies, creating gaps that led to cases being missed.
The Control Yuan called for disciplinary action against the heads of the Taipei Department of Education and Department of Social Welfare.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday declined to comment on the case when speaking to reporters before attending the Taipei International Book Exhibition.
The city government last year thoroughly investigated the matter and took appropriate disciplinary measures, Taipei City Government deputy spokesman Li Cheng-hsuan (李政軒) said.
The city government has also implemented improved countermeasures and would continue to work closely with parents and caregivers to prioritize children’s safety, he added.
The Taipei Department of Education in a news release yesterday said that it had imposed severe penalties on the perpetrator and kindergarten staff, and took disciplinary action against some department personnel.
It also created a response team in conjunction with the city’s departments of social welfare and health, and the Taipei police to ensure nothing was missed in the investigation and to prevent similar cases from occurring, it said.
Additional reporting by Fang Wei-li
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