A man in Yilan has been detained for suspected harassment of his ex-wife after he bombarded her with more than 300 telephone calls in a single day, local prosecutors said Friday.
Police arrested the accused stalker, identified only by his last name Chang (?), after his ex-wife complained of the harassment and death threats that she received from him on Wednesday, the Yilan District Prosecutors Office said.
The threats included such messages as “I must catch you” and “I will not be content with not killing you,” which Chang sent to his ex-wife via the LINE messaging app, prosecutors said.
After his arrest, prosecutors questioned the suspect and believed he violated the Stalking and Harassment Prevention Act, a new law that came into effect in June.
Prosecutors then filed a motion with the Yilan District Court to have Chang detained over concerns that he could return to stalking and threatening his ex-wife if he were released while the investigation was still ongoing.
The court granted the request on Thursday.
Chang was the first person in Yilan to be arrested for a possible violation of the act, which was signed into law late last year to increase punishments for harassment and stalking and offer more protection to victims.
Under the act, stalking and harassment are defined as continuous or repeated actions related to sex or gender that frighten the victim and have a negative impact on their daily lives.
The new law lists eight types of behavior as constituting stalking and harassment, including spying on, following and approaching, or threatening and insulting another person, and online harassment.
Aside from Yilan, the new anti-stalking law has also been applied to similar incidents in Taichung and Taipei, but no formal indictments have been handed down so far.
In Taichung, the reported harassment case involved a married man who repeatedly tried asking a woman out on a date by constantly texting and calling her, but he was rejected each time.
The Women and Children Protection Brigade of the Taichung Police Department on Friday said the man continued his pursuit despite being told several times by the woman that she had no interest in him.
According to the new law, individuals found guilty of any of the eight actions face up to one year in prison and/or a maximum fine of NT$100,000 (US$3,411).
Anyone found guilty of engaging in stalking or harassment while carrying a dangerous weapon can be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison and/or a fine of up to NT$500,000.
In Taipei, the harassment case was similar in nature, except it involved a man who wanted to reconcile with his former girlfriend.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel