Taiwan Railways driver sentenced for secretly filming victims, including children, in restrooms

A train driver for Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) has been sentenced for secretly installing hidden cameras in restrooms, filming victims including children as they used the facilities. The driver, identified by the surname Yang, was found to have placed pinhole cameras in the restroom of a rural farm in Taoyuan and at the TRA's Shuangxi Station.

In the farm incident, Yang placed a hidden camera in a restroom on July 22, 2024, capturing four victims using the facilities between noon and the afternoon. Two of the victims were children under 12 years old. Police apprehended Yang and seized the camera. He admitted to the charges during the investigation and trial.

The court ruled that Yang's actions violated laws against the non-consensual recording of sexual imagery and the filming of child sexual abuse material. Because he filmed different victims and infringed upon distinct legal rights, his offenses were treated separately and punished cumulatively. He was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison for two counts of filming children and 8 months for two counts of filming adults, the latter potentially commutable to a fine.

Judges rejected a request for a reduced sentence or probation, citing the significant psychological impact on the victims and the lack of remorse or compensation offered to the four farm victims. Yang had previously reached a settlement with a victim from the Shuangxi Station incident in January 2024, leading to the withdrawal of that complaint and a dismissal of the case by the court.