TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese singer Aaron Yan (炎亞綸) on Tuesday (July 2) received a suspended sentence for filming sex with a minor.
The Shilin District Court on May 30 handed Yan a suspended prison sentence for producing and possessing sexually explicit videos of a minor, while a Malaysian musician surnamed Chen (陳) was sentenced to four months in prison, per CNA. Since Tuesday was the last day for appeals, and the prosecution only filed an appeal against Chen, Yan's suspended sentence is now confirmed.
The Shilin District Prosecutors Office reviewed the case materials and believed that the first-instance judgment for Chen, who possessed the sexual footage of a minor, was too light. Therefore, they filed an appeal before the deadline.
The case started in 2023 when TikToker Raku (耀樂) accused Yan of forcing him to engage in sexual acts against his will and secretly filming it when he was 16 years old, before leaking the videos in 2018. In November, prosecutors indicted Yan for secretly filming and leaking the videos and barred him from traveling overseas.
The Shilin District Prosecutors Office said Yan met Raku in 2017. Despite knowing Raku was a minor, Yan filmed videos with him at his residence using his mobile phone and sent them to a friend.
The Shilin District Court considered that Yan admitted to his actions, was forgiven by Raku, reached a settlement with Raku, and had partially paid the settlement. Raku also agreed to the suspended sentence.
For breaching the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) and the Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act (兒童及少年性剝削防制條例), Yan was sentenced to four months in prison, plus seven months that is commutable to a fine. Both sentences were suspended for three years.
The court also ordered Yan to comply with the protective supervision and fulfill the settlement terms, including compensation commitments. If he fails to do so, the prosecutor may request the revocation of his suspended sentence and the four-month prison sentence will be enforced.
Chen, Yan's friend and a co-defendant in the case, apologized to Raku but denied the crime during the trial and did not reach a settlement with him. He was sentenced to four months under the Personal Data Protection Act, commutable to a fine.
Chen's second trial will next be heard by the Taiwan High Court.
