By D. Maan, Jadetimes News
A kindergarten teacher in Taiwan has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for more than 200 sexual offences against children, in a case that has sparked considerable outrage on the island. The Taipei District Court judge stated that the guy, identified as Mao, committed "vicious" offences that caused "severe physical and mental trauma" to six children under the age of seven. The case has been in the forefront for weeks, with indignation growing over the scope of Mao's crimes and the police' initial treatment of them.
Many pointed out that Mao was not suspended following an initial report in 2022, perhaps leading to additional youngsters being victims. Warning: Some readers may find the details of this article disturbing. He was arrested in July 2023 after other parents submitted accusations against him.
"If the local government could have done a better job in 2022, there wouldn't be the tragedy in 2023," Lin Yueh chin, a politician, says.
The parents also complained about a lack of transparency during the investigation, claiming they were denied access to CCTV footage and investigation findings. Mao was suspended and banned from teaching last year. The kindergarten license was also revoked. Mao was convicted of a number of offences on Friday, including rape and forcing youngsters to record sexually graphic recordings. Several more claims made by parents are being investigated. According to court records, Mao committed the offences while working at a private daycare in the capital, Taipei.
The 30 year old, who has a college degree in social work, has been working at the pre school since September 2021. He was in charge of controlling CCTV, aiding teachers, picking up and dropping off students, and overseeing during lunch times. The number of victims was large, the crime was vicious, the victims suffered severe physical and mental trauma, and the accused's attitude after committing the crimes was awful," the tribunal's judge stated.
The public was outraged by the information revealed by the media earlier this year. The first complaint against Mao allegedly dates back to July 2022. However, the matter was withdrawn after the Taipei City Education Investigation found no proof. Despite repeated warnings in parent message boards, it wasn't until a year later that more parents reported him to the police.
The full nature of his misdeeds was only exposed after family requested the seizure of Mao's phone, according to Legislator Lin Yueh chin, who has been assisting the parents with their legal battles. Authorities later discovered over 600 private videos of youngsters. Rephrase that and write a long article on it.
