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Taipei, Taiwan
Two police officers in Taiwan are under scrutiny as the duo sent a minor girl for a botched sting operation in order to nab Chang, the man who sexually assaulted her, media reports said. This comes as the man was convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old teenage girl.
The girl met the man over an online app. Chang offered the girl NT$5,000 ($159) and threatened the teenager with her nude photos. He warned the girl that if she does not have sex with him, he would release her photos. Stuck in the situation, the girl approached the police. However, little did she know that she will be again pushed into a situation to face her assaulter.
Sting operation
In order to catch the man, the police asked the girl to carry out a sting operation. Instead of taking care of the safety of the girl, she was put on task to help the cops nab the man.
The undercover operation was carried out in the north-western city of Taoyuan in November 2020. After police asked the girl for being part of the plan, the teenager agreed.
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The reports said that the girl was promised by the police that her safety will be taken care of. As per the plan, the girl and Chang met at a McDonald's outlet.
The girl failed to follow the instructions given by the police officers by entering into Chang's car "suddenly". Later, the man drove the car just about 300m away. At this point, he forced her to perform oral sex.
The girl did what was told to her as she was fearful of the consequences if she did not concede to the man's demands.
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As per a police spokesperson, the two policemen tried to chase the car on foot but failed to catch up. When Chang drove the car back to the restaurant, he was arrested by the police.
Negligence charges
The two officers now face negligence charges. They have also issued an apology for their failure to give proper protection to the minor.
During the trial, the minor told Taoyuan District Court about what had happened during the sting operation. The court convicted Chang of sexual assault and he was sentenced to prison for eight years.
Officers investigated
The two officers from Zhongli precinct are now facing investigation for neglect of duty as public officials. Taoyuan-based lawyer Fan Kang-hsiang told media portal Focus Taiwan that the island nation has no law which approves police to recruit minors for undercover investigations.
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However, under Taiwan's Civil Code, people who intentionally or negligently infringe upon the rights of others could be sued for damages. Now, while the investigation continues, the two officers are now being assigned only administrative police duties.