Taiwan Engineer Sentenced for Sexual Harassment After Touching Female Technician in Cleanroom

Published: August 7, 2026

A technology company engineer in Taoyuan has been sentenced to three months in prison after being found guilty of sexually harassing a female technician inside a cleanroom facility. The ruling was upheld after an appeal was rejected by the Taiwan High Court.

According to court documents, the incident occurred in May 2024 at a technology company in Taoyuan, where the engineer, identified by his surname Kuo, allegedly touched the same female technician’s buttocks twice while inside the cleanroom area.

The first incident reportedly happened while the female technician was operating equipment. She noticed contact on her lower body but initially believed it may have been accidental and did not immediately pursue the matter.

Later that same day, at around 6:45 p.m., the technician was performing a machine handover procedure at another workstation when she was allegedly touched again by the same engineer. She turned around to confirm the employee identification number on the cleanroom suit and later learned that the person involved was Kuo.

The technician told investigators that during the second incident, she had intentionally moved closer to the equipment to provide more space in the walkway, but Kuo still passed behind her and made contact with her body. Following the incident, she sought psychological counseling twice and filed a sexual harassment complaint with the company.

The company reviewed surveillance footage as part of its investigation. While the first alleged incident was not captured due to a camera blind spot, the second incident was recorded clearly.

Kuo denied the allegations, claiming that he was only passing through the area to collect parts and did not intentionally touch the technician. He argued that the walkway was narrow and any physical contact, if it occurred, was accidental. He also stated that the route was a commonly used shortcut inside the facility.

However, the Taoyuan District Court found that surveillance footage, the factory layout, and other evidence showed that Kuo had enough space to avoid contact. The court noted that wider pathways were also available, yet he chose to pass through the narrow area behind the technician.

The court determined that the victim’s testimony was consistent and that she had no apparent motive to falsely accuse Kuo, as the two had no personal conflict and she did not seek civil compensation. Based on the evidence, judges concluded that the act constituted sexual harassment under Taiwan’s Sexual Harassment Prevention Act.

The court sentenced Kuo to three months in prison, with the option of converting the sentence to a fine of NT$90,000. The judgment also stated that the conversion rate would be calculated at NT$1,000 per day.

Kuo appealed the decision, but the Taiwan High Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the original ruling.

Authorities continue to remind workplaces, particularly high-tech manufacturing facilities, to strengthen workplace safety measures and ensure proper reporting mechanisms for cases involving harassment and violations of personal rights.