By KHT Staff. AI illustration image.
KAOHSIUNG — A correctional officer at a prison in Kaohsiung was given a four-year prison term after a court found he coerced a male inmate into performing oral sex, reports said.
The Kaohsiung District Court (高雄地方法院) found that the officer, surnamed Yeh (葉), committed the offenses while working as a supervisor in the prison’s 13th workshop.
According to the ruling, Yeh was transferred to the workshop in May 2023 and had authority over inmate supervision, work evaluations, correspondence checks, and opinions related to parole applications.
The court found that Yeh used his position to force the inmate into sexual acts on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6, 2023, in an area of a workshop storeroom not covered by surveillance cameras.
The inmate later reported the case while Yeh was on leave. A hospital evaluation found that the inmate had severe post-traumatic stress disorder, reports said.
Prosecutors said surveillance footage showed movement near the storeroom area. The inmate told investigators he had deliberately moved part of his foot into view of the camera in the hope that someone would notice something was wrong.
The inmate also told investigators that Yeh made manipulative comments after the first incident and later used a box cutter in a way that frightened him, reports said.
Yeh denied the allegations, saying he was accused because inmates were unhappy with his strict management style.
The court rejected his defense and said the evidence showed he had abused his authority. Judges also considered the psychological harm caused to the inmate, reports said.
Yeh was sentenced to three years and six months for each offense, with a combined sentence of four years. The case can be appealed.
