Two Taiwanese police officers are under investigation after a teenager was assaulted by a man she had accused of blackmail, while taking part in a police sting operation to catch him.
The incident took place in November 2020, when the then 13-year-old told police in the northern Taiwan city of Taoyuan that she had been threatened by a man on a dating app, who tried to coerce her into sex by threatening to publish explicit photos of her online.
The man, surnamed Chang, was sentenced to eight years jail for sexual assault earlier this month.
The verdict revealed that after the girl brought her complaint of Chang’s attempted blackmail to police, officers asked her to assist an undercover operation by pretending to agree to meet with him for sex.
Local media reported the two officers then shadowed the child to a McDonald’s where she met with Chang, but lost her after she got into the car and was driven a few hundred metres away, and they were unable to chase on foot. Chang forced the girl to perform oral sex, before driving back to McDonald’s where he was detained by police.
Police said the girl did not tell officers about the assault at the time, which was revealed during Chang’s trial.
Local media, citing court documents, said the girl agreed to the sting because she’d been assured of her safety.
On Thursday, a Zhongli branch police spokesperson appeared to put responsibility on the teenager, telling reporters the girl had been repeatedly instructed not to get in the car and to stay in sight of the officers.
News of the botched operation and the police response prompted anger among Taiwanese citizens, who flooded the Zhongli police station’s social media pages accusing the officers of putting the girl in harm’s way.
“Let a young girl with no experience in investigating cases be bait,” said one commenter. “And they blame the girl for getting into the suspect’s car.”
On Saturday, the Taoyuan police department apologised and said the officers had been referred to the District Prosecutors Office for investigation.
Taiwanese lawyer, Fan Kang-shyang, told CNA there was no specific law in Taiwan governing the inclusion of minors in undercover police operations, but under the civil code people who intentionally or negligently infringe upon the rights of others could be liable for damages. Fan also said police officers were prohibited from inducing people to commit crimes or engage in other unlawful activities in the exercise of their duties.
The two officers have been placed on administrative duties and given demerits. Two other senior officers involved in the initial investigation have also been given demerits for damaging the reputation of police.
Taoyuan police and the Zhongli branch have been contacted for comment.
