TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taipei District Court sentenced TV host Mickey Huang (黃子佼) to eight months in prison on Monday (Nov. 3) for possessing and promoting a market for child pornography since 2019.
The court also fined Huang NT$100,000 (US$3,071) after a trial where he denied the crime of possessing 2,259 sexual images of 35 children, per CNA. Underage witnesses said they were between 10 and 17 years old when the photos were taken, some of which included easily identifiable information, such as their faces, school uniforms, ID cards, and social media profiles.
The court said in a release that Huang showed no remorse for the crime which aided in child exploitation and sustained a market for child pornography. It said Huang’s behavior was “ruthless and inexcusable” and seriously harmed the children involved.
The court said that Huang purchased the images from a forum that sells revenge and child pornography. Police confiscated hard drives containing the images as part of an investigation into Huang’s activities in 2023, and he was found to possess even more images a year later.
In addition to the hard drive images, the court heard testimonies from children and teenagers, and saw evidence from Huang’s forum account, his purchase records, and other information. The court said this established Huang was subjectively aware he possessed sexual images of children and teenagers.
Huang’s defense argued that he was eligible for a suspended sentence because he was unaware of his crimes and his actions were too minor to warrant the minimum sentence. The court dismissed these arguments due to the number of images Huang possessed, the damage he caused to children, and Huang’s denial of the crime during trial.
Huang confessed to possessing child pornography during an interrogation but later retracted the statement. The court said his denial made it hard to believe Huang would show remorse for his crimes.
The court said Huang’s fine can be paid off through community service at NT$1,000 per day. The fine and prison sentence can be appealed.
Huang was sentenced during a retrial after he was granted deferred prosecution for possessing the images. The decision caused an outcry from legislators and rights groups, and fresh charges were laid against Huang in April.
