Police officer jailed for filming female colleague showering
A police officer was recently sentenced to eight months in prison for filming his female colleague while she was showering inside a police station in Nantou County, Taiwan.
The officer surnamed Zhang (transliterated from Chinese) was initially sentenced to five months’ jail, but the prosecution found this too lenient.
The crime occurred inside the dormitory of a precinct in Nantou on 19 and 20 March.
Officer filmed colleague showering twice
According to ETtoday, Zhang went to the unisex washroom and noticed a female colleague taking a shower.
That’s when he took out his phone to record the act.
Image courtesy of Leung Cho Pan on Canva. For illustration purposes only.
The next day, Zhang repeated the act, but his colleague spotted the phone and screamed, prompting him to flee and delete the videos.
The woman reported the incident to the station and precinct chiefs, who reviewed the security footage, which pointed to Zhang as the prime suspect.
Officer initially sentenced to five months’ jail
The police confirmed it was Zhang who filmed the woman.
The revelation also led him to confess to the crime.
During the trial, the court noted that although he had 10 years of service, the officer knowingly broke the law.
Image courtesy of Google Maps. For illustration purposes only.
Zhang also reportedly expressed willingness to settle, but the victim was unwilling.
He was convicted of two counts of unlawful recording and filming of sexually explicit images.
He was initially sentenced to three months’ jail for each count, to be served concurrently for a total of five months, which can be commuted to a fine of NTD150,000 (S$6,000).
Prosecution appeals sentence
However, the prosecution appealed the initial sentence, arguing that he repeatedly filmed the victim, taking five videos on his phone, ETtoday reported.
They also cited that he attempted to destroy evidence, made excuses for his actions, and only confessed once the evidence was complete.
Additionally, they said the victim suffered prolonged anxiety and fear due to this.
After reviewing the case, the Taichung High Court found that the victim repeatedly stated that she felt physically and mentally traumatised by the crime.
She also felt panic and anxiety whenever she heard Zhang’s name.
As the parties had not reached a settlement, the court then changed Zhang’s sentence to eight months in prison.
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Featured image adapted from Vladimir Razguliaev on Canva, Milan Markovic on Canva, both for illustration purposes only.
