New Taipei Court Clerk Sentenced in Voyeurism Case; Second Instance Upholds 33 Convictions with Sentences from 2 to 7 Months

Central News Agency, Taipei, 14th — An assistant clerk surnamed Luo at the New Taipei District Court was involved in installing hidden cameras in the court's pantry, offices, and restrooms to secretly film people's private moments, such as using the toilet. The High Court, in its second-instance ruling today, sentenced him on 33 counts, including the non-consensual recording of others' sexual images, with prison terms ranging from 2 to 7 months, some of which are commutable to a fine.

Separately, the Disciplinary Court had ruled at the end of July last year to dismiss Luo from his post and bar him from reappointment for five years; this decision is appealable.

According to the court verdict, Luo had been a judicial police officer at the New Taipei District Court since March 15, 2005, and later became an assistant clerk in the Investigation and Protection Office at the Banqiao branch through an internal selection process, where he was responsible for assisting investigation and protection officers with administrative probation tasks. Luo is suspected of taking advantage of opportunities when he was alone in the office working overtime since 2022. He allegedly used tape to fix hidden cameras at low angles in the pantry, under office desks, or in squat toilets to secretly film victims' up-skirt images, the inner thighs under shorts, the base of the thighs, and underwear, as well as their private activities and body parts while using the toilet.

A judicial police officer discovered the camera while using the toilet in January 2025 and reported it to the police. Luo confessed to all the facts during interviews with the New Taipei District Court's government ethics office and during the criminal investigation. The New Taipei District Prosecutors Office indicted him for the crime of a public official non-consensually recording sexual images.

The first-instance ruling by the New Taipei District Court sentenced Luo to a non-commutable prison term of 3 years, with an additional 7-month sentence that could be commuted to a fine.

The prosecution appealed, arguing that Luo had committed the crime by exploiting his position as a public official and that the original sentence did not increase his punishment as stipulated by the Criminal Code. The prosecution also claimed the sentencing was inappropriate as it gave similar sentences for different criminal circumstances, and that Luo's post-offense attitude was poor as he had not reached a settlement with all the complainants.

The Taiwan High Court, in its second-instance review, determined that Luo installed the hidden cameras after work hours, which was unrelated to his duties as an assistant clerk. It also noted that failure to reach a settlement was due to some complainants being unwilling to settle, and thus it could not be concluded that Luo's post-offense attitude was poor.

The second-instance panel considered that Luo's actions constituted 27 counts of non-consensual recording of others' sexual images, 5 counts of secretly recording others' private body parts, and 1 count of attempted non-consensual recording of others' sexual images. He pleaded guilty during the investigation, the original trial, and the second-instance hearing. After the original verdict, he actively reached settlements with some complainants and paid compensation, which changed the sentencing factors. The court sentenced him to 2 to 7 months for each crime, with some sentences being commutable to a fine. The case can be further appealed. (Editor: Li Hsi-chang) 1150514