Ⅰ The results of investigation

Defendant Liao (male, age 36) , has been charged with violating Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act and other related offenses.

Ⅱ The Investigative Process

Kaohsiung District Prosecutor Office (KDPO) previously received a report from the public regarding some upskirt videos were spread on the internet. Then, Prosecutor Huang Yan-Ru from the Special Task for the Maternity and Children's was immediately assigned to direct the Kaohsiung City Police Department Criminal Investigation Corps (KCPD) to investigate. On December 12, 2023, armed with a search warrant issued by the court, the team went to defendant Liao’s residence in Shilin District, Taipei City, Taoyuan District, Taoyuan City and other places to search, and arrested defendant Liao to the case with a arrest warrant. After interrogating, a request for detention was approved by the court.

The case was thoroughly investigated by the assigned Prosecutor Huang, who diligently confiscated defendant Liao's criminal proceeds. The case concluded on April 30, 2024. Prosecutor  Huang determined that defendant Liao was involved in Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act and initiated public prosecution in accordance with the law. The total number of victims exceeds 3,792, and defendant Liao illegally profited NTD 10,062,958 since 2019. Prosecutor Huang has also requested the court to confiscate the criminal proceeds, with an estimated market value of over NTD 10 million including one real estate under defendant Liao's name, bank account deposits totaling over NTD 1.62 million, and over 14,000 shares of various securities.

Ⅲ Brief Facts of This Case

Since 2017, defendant Liao used a GoPro camera hidden in his backpack to randomly find unwitting women and high school girls in MRT station, department stores, or high schools in Taipei City, and secretly recorded underskirt images from low angles, capturing private areas such as the inner thighs, thigh roots, and underwear beneath their skirts. He also obtained upskirt images from other sources.

 After post-processing, categorizing, and watermarking these images, defendant Liao began selling or exchanging these videos in LINE groups for prices ranging from NTD 200 to 500 each since mid-November 2018. Then he operated a channel on Telegram to sell these images from late February 2023. He organized the images into catalogs, making it easier for buyers to browse and purchase. Buyers were required to pre-load Tether (USDT) equivalent to around NTD 2,000 to become members. Upon joining, the members received several videos and 2,000 points to watch more content. For additional points, they could exchange Tether or NTD 1,000 for 1,000 points, with each video priced between NTD 200 and 900. Membership was divided into three levels: regular members received a catalog without upskirt images, while VIP and premium VIP members received catalogs that included upskirt images and had access to a series featuring uniformed students.

Ⅳ Violation

Defendant Liao was accused of the following crimes :

1. Selling sexual images without the consent of victims under paragraph 4 and paragraph 2 of Article 319-3 of the Criminal Code.
2. Causing a child or a youth to be filmed against the free will of the child or the youth concerned with intent to gain profit under paragraph 4 and paragraph 3 of Article 36 of the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act.
3. Selling sexual images of a child or a youth under paragraph 3 and paragraph 1 of Article 38 of the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act.
4. Adult deliberately and illegally using the personal data of juvenile under paragraph 1 of Article 112 of The Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act and Article 41 of Personal Data Protection Act.