Taiwan court sentences woman to 10 days jail for stopping man photographing illegally parked scooter

A woman in Keelung, Taiwan, has been sentenced to 10 days in jail, with the option to pay a fine, for obstructing freedom. The conviction stems from an incident where she prevented a man from leaving after he photographed her scooter, which was illegally parked at a bus stop. The man, waiting for a bus at the "Erxin Circular Station," noticed the scooter parked in a no-parking zone and began taking pictures of its license plate. The scooter's owner, identified as Ms. Chen, confronted the man. In an attempt to prevent him from leaving and to have the photos deleted, she forcibly grabbed his arm and clothes. This prevented the man from boarding his bus. After escaping Ms. Chen's grasp, the man reported the incident to the police in Taipei, filing a complaint for obstructing freedom. The Keelung District Court reviewed the case and determined that Ms. Chen had violated parking regulations and then unlawfully detained the man. The court also noted that mediation attempts between the two parties failed. The judge stated that Ms. Chen's actions, driven by suspicion of being reported, showed a lack of self-reflection regarding her initial mistake. Evidence, including the man's video recordings, confirmed that he was forcibly stopped and his right to board the bus was affected. Considering Ms. Chen's admission of guilt and the unsuccessful mediation, she was sentenced to 10 days of detention, which can be commuted to a fine of NT$10,000.

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The court found that Ms. Chen had violated parking regulations and then unlawfully detained the man.