Ex-TV Host’s Suspended Sentence Upheld in Final Ruling

Taipei: The Supreme Court: The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected appeals by prosecutors and television personality Mickey Huang, making final his four-year suspended sentence for purchasing sexually explicit material involving minors. The court confirmed that the evidence in the case supported Huang's conviction and deemed the suspension of the sentence appropriate. According to Focus Taiwan, the prosecutors' appeal against the suspended sentence and Huang's appeal against the conviction did not meet the grounds for a final appeal, which are restricted to issues involving the application of law. Huang was found guilty by the Taiwan High Court on November 25 of purchasing 2,341 sexually explicit videos and images involving 37 minors aged 10 to 17. This was in violation of the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act and the Personal Data Protection Act. The High Court had sentenced Huang under the harsher penalty provisions of the Personal Data Protection Act. He received a sentence of one year an d six months in prison, suspended for four years. Additionally, he was ordered to perform 180 hours of community service and attend three legal education sessions. The High Court stated that the suspended sentence was granted because Huang had no previous criminal record and had reached settlements with the victims.