[Sportschosun Reporter Jang Jong-ho] A woman in Taiwan who sparked public outrage after cutting off her one-year-old son's genitals with scissors has been handed an additional prison sentence for sexually harassing a fellow inmate while serving time.
According to Taiwanese media outlets including TVBS, Xiao Hua, 34, who is being held at a women's prison in Taichung, was recently indicted for touching and groping another female inmate's chest while she was preparing to sleep in a dormitory inside the prison.
During the investigation, Xiao Hua denied the allegations and claimed that she had only "poked the area near the other person's armpit once as a joke." However, the victim reportedly suffered from insomnia and psychological trauma after the incident, and the prison's internal CCTV footage is said to have captured the scene.
After reviewing the victim's testimony and video evidence, the court ruled that the sexual harassment was substantiated and sentenced her to an additional five months in prison.
Xiao Hua had been incarcerated over a child abuse case that shocked Taiwanese society in 2021.
At the time, she was arrested on charges of cutting off the genitals of her one-year-old biological son with scissors.
She reportedly deepened the shock by photographing the mutilated child and posting the image on social networking service (SNS) shortly after the incident.
Fortunately, the child underwent emergency surgery to reattach the severed part, and doctors later estimated the chances of functional recovery at 70% to 90%.
Xiao Hua claimed postpartum depression and stress, but the court finalized a six-year prison sentence in January 2023 for attempted aggravated child abuse.
She was also serving a combined sentence of six years and 10 months after receiving a separate one-year-and-two-month prison term for arson.
With the latest sexual harassment conviction, her total time behind bars is likely to exceed seven years.
Reporter Jang Jong-ho bellho@sportschosun.com
