Man in Taiwan gets jailed for secretly filming 6 naked men in hot spring bath

Man secretly films other men naked in hot spring bathhouse

A man in Taiwan has been sentenced to five months in prison after being caught secretly filming six men at a hot spring resort in Beitou.

Kao (name transliterated from Mandarin) used a towel to conceal his phone as he took 32 photos of the six men. The images included the men’s faces, physical features, and genitals.

Victims alerted police after discovering his actions

The incident occurred on the evening of 21 Dec, 2024, at Huang Chi Hot Springs Resort’s public communal pool.

Upon noticing Kao’s suspicious behaviour, the victims confronted him before calling the police.

Police arrived at the scene and found screenshots and video clips of the unauthorised recordings on Kao’s phone.

He said he was motivated by ‘curiosity’, later settled with victims

Kao, a media professional who holds a Master’s degree, confessed to the crime during his trial, stating that he was motivated by “momentary curiosity”.

He was initially accused of violating the Personal Data Protection Act and the Criminal Code for unauthorised recording of non-public activities and unauthorised recording of sexual images.

The victims withdrew the latter two charges after Kao settled with them and paid full compensation.

However, the violation of the Personal Data Protection Act is a non-indictable offence that the state must prosecute regardless of a settlement.

Court sentenced him to five months in prison with two-year probation

The Shilin District Court judge sentenced Kao to five months in prison, commutable to a fine, with a two-year probation.

The ruling was based on leniency, considering several factors, such as:

• Admitting to the crime from the beginning.
• Compensating all victims and showing sincere remorse.
• Proactively sought psychological counselling to address his deviant behaviour.
• No prior criminal record, holds a Master’s degree, and is the primary provider for his parents on a monthly salary of NT$70,000 (S$2,800) to NT$80,000 (S$3,200).

As part of his suspended sentence, Kao is required to provide 80 hours of community service, attend three legal education sessions, and forfeit his iPhone, which has been confiscated for destruction.

The court warned that failure to comply with the conditions would result in his imprisonment.

Also read: Police officer jailed for filming female colleague showering inside Taiwan police station

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Featured image adapted from SETN and LTN.