Comedian “Nono,” real name Chen Hsuan-yu (陳宣裕), was found guilty today of attempted forcible intercourse and sentenced to two years and six months in prison by the Shilin District Court.
Nono was tried on a total of seven complaints of sexual assault and indecent behavior against a total of six women, though he was found not guilty on the remaining six charges due to insufficient evidence.
The verdict is subject to appeal.
Photo: Taipei Times
Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office said it would decide whether to appeal on receiving the full judgement.
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office transferred the seven complaints to the Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office for investigation in December last year, dismissing another three complaints due to lack of evidence.
In 2011, Nono first met the victim during the recording of a TV program and obtained her contact information, court documents said.
After filming, Nono repeatedly contacted the victim and said he could drive her home, which she declined, they said.
However, as Nono continued to ask the victim and she trusted him due to his fame and status in the entertainment industry, she eventually accepted, the court said.
Nono drove her to a carpark by the riverside in Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕) and attempted to rape the victim, it said.
As she continued to resist and plead before falling inside the car, he stopped and did not rape her, it added.
The victim’s relatives and friends were summoned to testify in court, confirming that they heard the victim describe the incident and had noticed her emotional state had changed significantly after the event, the court said.
Based on supporting testimonies, the judges deemed the victim’s account to be credible, it said.
The crime was of a serious and malicious nature, as the perpetrator ignored the victim’s repeated protests and the attempted rape had a significant impact on the victim’s mental health while stripping her of her bodily autonomy and dignity, the court said.
The ruling found that the victim did not speak up or report the incident to the police due to fear of public backlash and concerns that Nono would evade culpability due to his status and power in the entertainment industry.
After Taiwan’s version of the MeToo movement against sexual harassment went viral in 2023, the victim saw other victims speaking out and encouraging others to do the same, prompting her to go public about the assault.
The court heard how Nono had denied the allegations since the first accusations arose and claimed he did not know the victims.
He further demonstrated a clear lack of respect for women’s bodily autonomy, showed no sign of remorse and failed to reach a settlement, offer compensation or apologize to the victims, it said.
The prosecution and the victim also requested a heavier sentencing, it added.
The six dropped charges included three counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and two counts of forcible indecency, the court said.
They were dropped due to insufficient evidence and witnesses to corroborate complainants’ testimonies, while other cases had inconsistencies in complainants’ statements, the court said.
The cases may be appealed.
The case began in 2023 when a woman accused Nono of groping her in a post on Facebook, after which multiple women came forward and filed complaints.
As the case involved sexual crimes, the court held a closed-door trial which lasted almost one year, with the first verdict issued today.
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