Elementary School Teacher Sentenced to 4 Years and 2 Months for Molesting and Secretly Photographing 3 Boys

(Central News Agency reporter Hong Xuegao, Kaohsiung, 8th) A male elementary school teacher surnamed Yeh, who previously taught in Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, lured and forced three male students to take off their pants for molestation and secret photography. He even used their private father-son form of address to coerce them into submission. The Kaohsiung District Court sentenced him to 4 years and 2 months in prison for violating the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act, among other charges. The verdict can be appealed.

During the trial at the Kaohsiung District Court, Yeh admitted to taking photos and viewing the students' genitals but vehemently denied acting against their will. He argued that his actions were for 'health education' purposes or to assist students who complained of discomfort, claiming all acts were voluntary. However, after examining the chat records, the judge found that Yeh had indeed used his 'father' persona to exert emotional pressure on the students. The judge noted that as an educator, Yeh was fully aware of the students' mental and emotional immaturity. Yet, to satisfy his own desires, he abused his teacher-student relationship and engaged in emotional blackmail, harming the students' physical and mental development. The court deemed his actions inexcusable.

The Kaohsiung District Court considered that Yeh had reached settlements with the parents of two of the victims, each for NT$150,000, and that he had no prior criminal record. He was convicted on three charges: inducing a child to be photographed for acts of lewdness, forcible molestation of a person under 14, and causing a child to be photographed for sexual images against their will. The sentences were combined for a total of 4 years and 2 months. The confiscated camera and memory card were ordered to be forfeited. The case can still be appealed.

According to the Kaohsiung District Court verdict, Yeh served as a homeroom teacher at elementary schools in Hsinchu City and Kaohsiung City starting in 2017. In May 2018, while at an elementary school in Hsinchu, Yeh took advantage of a moment when a male student was alone in the classroom. Under the pretext of checking his genital hygiene, he lured the student into taking off his pants, photographed him, and molested him.

After transferring to an elementary school in Kaohsiung, between October and November 2023, Yeh again used the absence of other students during physical education or science classes to keep two male students alone in the classroom. Using the same excuse, he demanded they take off their pants. When the two students refused, Yeh used the authority he had built through their private father-son relationship to force them into compliance, photographing one of them. The case came to light after the parents of the two Kaohsiung victims discovered the abuse and reported it to the police. (Editor: Lin Shuhui) 1150608