Girl beaten, filmed after damaging friend's shorts; man jailed

A high school girl in Hsinchu, Taiwan, identified as Xiao Mei, endured a brutal assault and humiliation by a group of female classmates after allegedly damaging a borrowed pair of shorts valued at NT$500. The situation escalated when the perpetrators demanded NT$5,000 in compensation, a sum Xiao Mei could not afford.

Following the inability to pay, over a dozen girls allegedly lured Xiao Mei to the Nanliao fishing port area on the evening of August 29, 2023. There, she was subjected to a violent beating with a baseball bat on her hands and buttocks. Her neck was burned with a cigarette, her phone was smashed, and she was physically assaulted, resulting in multiple bruises and having her upper clothing forcibly removed.

During the assault, several individuals, including an 18-year-old male named Chen, filmed Xiao Mei being beaten, abused, and stripped. These videos were subsequently uploaded to the Facebook group "Black Mansion Enterprise." The attackers provided moral and psychological support to each other during the public assault.

Authorities were alerted after the disturbing videos circulated on social media. The court sentenced Chen to three years and seven months in prison for his role in filming the sexual imagery of the victim. The judge noted that Chen, having just turned 18, should have known better than to participate in such acts, emphasizing the violation of laws protecting minors' well-being.

Despite the severity of the crime, the court considered Chen's full confession, his remorse, and his agreement to compensate Xiao Mei's parents as mitigating factors. The judge found that a harsher sentence, such as the minimum seven years and one month for similar offenses, would be disproportionate, leading to the reduced sentence. The case highlights a disturbing instance of group bullying and sexual abuse among minors.