Kaohsiung Officer Accused of Filming Female Complainant; Police Department Supports Victim's Appeal After Case Dropped for Lack of Evidence

(CNA Reporter Hung Hsueh-kuang, Kaohsiung, 18th) A Kaohsiung police officer surnamed Tu illegally filmed the private body parts of women reporting crimes. While the cases of six female complainants have been indicted, another case involving one woman was not prosecuted due to insufficient evidence. The city police department stated today that it has resolutely dismissed Tu and supports the victim's right to file for a reconsideration of the decision. Time Power Party Chairwoman Wang Wan-yu posted on Facebook yesterday, stating that a woman, pseudonymously named Y, had a physical altercation with her boyfriend in a Kaohsiung hotel room. The terrified woman called the police for help but was allegedly asked by officer Tu of the Sanmin First Precinct to strip down to her underwear for photos under the pretext of checking for injuries. Y later filed a report and charges, but the case was dismissed by prosecutors for lack of evidence as Tu was suspected of destroying evidence. Y further accused the Kaohsiung City Government and Police Department of never showing concern and has filed for a reconsideration, hoping prosecutors will re-examine the evidence. In response, the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office explained the contents of the non-prosecution order this afternoon. In this case, prosecutors and police launched a search on December 27, 2023, seizing the defendant's phone and sending it to the Technology Crime Investigation Division of the Kaohsiung City Police Department's Criminal Investigation Corps for digital forensics. The results showed that during the time of the incident, the defendant had opened or operated the phone's camera and photo album 24 times and 18 times, respectively. After receiving a call from the police, he opened or operated the phone's photo album another 42 times, including deleting 23 photos. However, because the internal information on the defendant's phone had been deleted and reset, only the operation records could be recovered, making it impossible to restore the specific content of the deleted photos. Based on this, the prosecution could not confirm the specific content of the photos the defendant deleted, and thus could not prove that the defendant had filmed or secretly recorded images of the woman's buttocks or other private body parts. Coupled with the defendant's denial of the crime and no other evidence to support the accusation, the case was dismissed for insufficient evidence. The Kaohsiung Prosecutors Office stated that regarding the sexual harassment complaint filed by the woman in this case, the Kaohsiung City Government's Sexual Harassment Prevention and Review Committee determined that the defendant's actions indeed constituted power-based sexual harassment and imposed a fine according to Article 27, Paragraph 1 of the Sexual Harassment Prevention Act. Furthermore, the defendant's phone contained photos of other female complainants' physical characteristics, illegally collected and used in the line of duty, which constitutes a violation of the Personal Data Protection Act; this part will be prosecuted separately. The defendant's violation of standard operating procedures in this case will also be referred to his employing unit for administrative accountability. The Kaohsiung City Police Department issued a statement in response, emphasizing that the police take cases of illegal filming by officers very seriously and have a zero-tolerance attitude towards illegal and derelict personnel, whom they will resolutely dismiss. Regarding this case, which is currently under investigation by prosecutors, the police department fully supports the victim's right to legally file for a reconsideration. It will also thoroughly review law enforcement and audit mechanisms and strengthen gender equality education for police officers. The entire case originated from Kaohsiung officer Tu, who, under the pretext of performing his duties and checking for injuries, illegally filmed the private body parts of at least six female complainants and synthesized them into nude photos. The Kaohsiung Prosecutors Office indicted him for violating the Personal Data Protection Act and other crimes. The city police department stated that he was initially given one major demerit and transferred, but after the indictment, he was given two major demerits and dismissed. (Editor: Lee Shu-hua) 1150518