TAICHUNG, July 8 — A former elementary school baseball coach in Taichung has been convicted of committing numerous sexual offenses over a six-year period, including molestation, sexual assault, and the production of explicit videos involving 32 children. The court has handed down prison sentences ranging from three and a half years to over eight years for these crimes.
On Tuesday, the Taichung District Court announced its verdict, sentencing the defendant, surnamed Sung, to 7 years and 10 months in prison for each of seven counts of sexual assault against minors under 14.
Sung was also convicted of 46 counts of forcible molestation against boys under 14, receiving sentences of three years and six months for each offense. Additionally, he was found guilty of three separate incidents of opportunistic indecent assault by an adult on children, each resulting in a 1 year and 6 months sentence.
Further, the court sentenced Sung to prison terms ranging from 7 years and 2 months to 8 years and 6 months for 34 cases involving the creation of sexually explicit digital content featuring minors.
The court noted that some related cases are still ongoing, and as a result, the total cumulative sentence has not yet been finalized. The ruling remains subject to appeal.
This disturbing case came to public attention after a parent filed a complaint last October. Interestingly, Sung had previously been convicted in 2004 for molesting three young boys. Due to his admission of guilt and settlement with the victims, he received a lenient sentence of two years’ imprisonment, suspended for five years, which meant he served no jail time and was not listed as a sex offender by the Ministry of Education.
Despite this prior conviction, the elementary school in Taichung had not conducted thorough background checks when hiring Sung as a baseball coach in 2018. He served in this position for six years before his misconduct was uncovered.
In March, Sung was formally indicted by the Taichung District Prosecutors Office on charges including forcible molestation, sexual assault, and child sexual exploitation.
The case highlights the importance of rigorous vetting procedures and ongoing monitoring to protect minors from abuse.
