High Court raises jail term for man convicted of sexually abusing minors

Taipei, Jan. 7 (CNA) The Taiwan High Court on Tuesday raised the sentence of a man who was found guilty last year of sexually assaulting minors while teaching at a private preschool in Taipei to 28 years and eight months in prison.

Mao Chun-shen (毛畯珅) was found guilty of nine counts of sexual assault by penetration, 203 counts of indecent assault and 14 counts of filming obscene images committed from 2021-2023, the court said in a news release.

The cumulative sentences for the 226 criminal counts total 1,291 years, and Mao will need to serve a prison term of 28 years and eight months, it said.

The former preschool teacher was originally handed a 28-year jail term by the Taipei District Court in August last year for 224 criminal counts totaling 1,252 years and six months, a ruling which Mao later appealed.

While the guilty verdict was upheld, spokesman Wang Ping-hsia (王屏夏) for the High Court said the latter made a few adjustments after reviewing Mao's case, including one criminal count on which he was acquitted by the district court but has now been found guilty.

Considering that Mao's actions severely damaged the victims' physical and mental health, as well as trauma caused to their families, the High Court decided to raise his jail sentence, which can still be appealed, Wang said.

Mao was arrested in July 2023 on suspicion of sexually assaulting children at the Taipei Piramide School (台北市私立培諾米達幼兒園), which was owned by his mother.

He was indicted by prosecutors in August 2023 after being investigated multiple times for sexual assault against minors by the authorities. The first complaints against Mao were filed in June 2022.

After an investigation, the Taipei District Prosecutors Office charged Mao with aggravated sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault, among other crimes.