#METOO/Aaron Yan gets suspended sentence for filming, sharing sex videos of minor

Taipei, May 30 (CNA) Taiwanese singer and actor Aaron Yan (炎亞綸) was given a seven-month suspended prison sentence on Thursday for filming and leaking intimate videos of a minor in the period 2017-2018.

In its ruling, the Shilin District Court said Yan, 39, had recorded the intimate videos of him having sex with a minor, with an intention of sharing them.

The court handed down a seven-month prison sentence, which was suspended for three years and can be commuted to a fine, after Yan reached a settlement in March with the accuser, an internet personality named Raku (耀樂), according to the ruling.

The amount of the settlement was not disclosed, as there was a confidentiality agreement between the two men, the court said in its verdict, which can be appealed.

In addition, Yan received another sentence of four months behind bars for violating the Personal Data Protection Act, on the grounds that Yan had sent the images to two netizens, with the first occurrence when Raku was 17.

The four-month jail term was also suspended for three years but cannot be commuted to a fine.

In the case that came to light in June 2023, Raku accused Yan of forced sexual intercourse at the latter's home, filming the acts without his consent, and leaking the videos.

The acts took place from December 2017 to June 2018, when the two were in a relationship, Raku said, noting that he was 16 at the time and Yan was in his early 30s.

Last November, Yan was indicted on charges of filming, and leaking sex videos of a minor, in violation of the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act, prosecutors said at the time.

Prosecutors, however, decided not to pursue an indictment against Yan for rape due to a lack of evidence.