A man in Nantou County has been convicted of sexual harassment and given a 30-day prison sentence for brushing his hand twice on a teenager’s breast while riding a bus, with lawyers pointing out the importance of recording and presenting evidence in court.
The Nantou District Court found a 22-year-old man, surnamed Teng (鄧), guilty of sexually harassing a 17-year-old high-school student on a Chuan Hang Co (全航客運) bus from Taichung to Puli Township (埔里) in September 2022.
The teenager said the perpetrator held money bills in his left hand while he was getting off at a stop in Nantou’s Caotun Township (草屯) and used the back of his hand to brush against her breast twice.
Photo: Chen Feng-li, Taipei Times
The teenager stayed calm, took photos of the perpetrator’s back and side profile, as well as the outside street and the time, and then called her father to wait for her at the bus stop, the court filing said, adding that the teenager told the bus driver what happened before getting off at her stop.
The girl and her father went to a local police precinct to file a complaint and record her statement, it said.
She also presented the photos to the police, as well as the bus’ registration number and the name of the driver, it added.
Police officers were able to identify Teng based on the photos and camera footage around the bus stop.
At first, Teng denied touching her breast, but later said: “On the bus, I found her quite pretty and I wanted to get to know her better. I held NT$1,000 bills in my hand, trying to get her attention and show that I was willing to make friends with her.”
Prosecutors filed a sexual harassment charge against Teng, and the court last month found him guilty of infringing on rights to privacy and autonomy of an individual’s body, as well as hurting the girl’s mental health by causing anguish and stress.
The ruling can be appealed.
Commenting on the case, practicing lawyer Chang Chun-hsiang (張鈞翔) said people can learn from the teenager’s actions: remain calm, gather evidence, take photos right away, shout for help and get witnesses’ contact information so the court can request them to testify.
In some cases, people who are groped or sexually harassed get scared and do not know what to do; they do not take photos or gather evidence, so the case cannot proceed to a criminal prosecution, Chang said.
“In crowded buses or trains, women could fall victim to harassment, such as groping, touching of the buttocks or brushing on breasts. The victim must remain calm and take photos to record the perpetrator’s face and features. They can also shout to get the attention of others and the driver, then report the incident to the police immediately and get their statement recorded,” he said.
Additional reporting by Jason Pan
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