A man in Taichung, Taiwan, who did not live with his daughter, reunited with her after many years. Using her birthday as a pretext, he took her to a KTV and then to a motel, where he took advantage of her drunken state and, disregarding morals, succeeded in sexually assaulting her. The court sentenced the man to 4 years in prison for forced intercourse, highlighting that he was the victim’s biological father, but an appeal is permitted.
According to a United Daily News report on the 24th, an investigation revealed that on July 5, 2023, the man invited his daughter to a KTV under the excuse of celebrating her birthday. Later, he suggested they go to a motel, claiming the police might conduct checks due to their drinking. The daughter, feeling nauseous after drinking, went to bathe and passed out in the bathtub. The man sneaked into the bathroom and got into the tub with her. She woke up startled and left the bathroom to sleep on the bed.
"Do you know I am your daughter?"
Unexpectedly, the man again forced himself on her while she was half-conscious. The daughter woke up and resisted, saying, "Do you know I am your daughter?" But the man pressed on and succeeded in assaulting her. Afterwards, the woman left and told her mother, thus exposing the incident.
During the trial, the man vehemently denied the sexual assault, claiming that he woke up to find his daughter touching his lower body, so he pushed her away and didn't know why she was accusing him.
The woman testified that she had never lived with her father. Before the birthday celebration, her father specifically told her not to bring her boyfriend. After getting drunk and going to the motel to bathe, she passed out, and awoke to find her father, also naked from the waist up, joining her in the bath. She then fell asleep on the bed, and the next thing she remembered was being sexually assaulted.
Endured in Silence for the Sake of Mother’s Financial Hardship
The woman further stated that she was initially reluctant to break with her father or sever ties because she didn’t want to lose him, mainly for her mother’s livelihood and financial circumstances, as her father claimed to have helped her mother repay many debts, which made her endure in silence.
The court found that the woman’s statements were consistent and detailed throughout, and noted that she teared up and choked back sobs when testifying. Both her boyfriend and mother confirmed that she had an emotional breakdown after the incident. Her mother also corroborated that, due to financial pressure, she had borrowed from her ex-husband, and her daughter confessed, "If I say it, Dad won’t help Mom anymore." and "If the truth gets out, I’ll lose Dad."
The court, considering that the man never acknowledged his daughter and thus no legal direct blood relation was established, decided that the Domestic Violence Prevention Law did not apply. However, since the man was her biological father and assaulted his daughter, causing her physical and psychological trauma without seeking reconciliation afterwards, he was sentenced to 4 years in prison for forced intercourse.