[Sportschosun Jang Jong-ho] A Taiwanese man has been convicted after repeatedly sniffing the chair a particular woman had sat on at a train station and stalking her.
According to local media outlets, including ETtoday, a man surnamed Chang, who lives in Kaohsiung, was indicted on charges of repeatedly following and harassing a woman he did not know.
The victim had regularly been taking commuter trains at Taiwan Railway Museum Station in Kaohsiung.
One day, after a woman who had been sitting on a bench at the station platform stood up to board a train, Chang immediately approached, bent down, and sniffed the chair she had just left. He was then found to have boarded the same train car and followed her.
Chang later repeated the behavior several times, sniffing the chair the woman had sat on and continuing to follow her.
In the end, the victim began boarding trains early at Kaohsiung Station, farther away than usual, to avoid Chang. When she did not appear at the museum station, Chang reportedly boarded from the previous station as well and searched the train cars for her.
The frightened woman eventually reported Chang to the police. At a recent trial, she testified, "I suffered from constant anxiety and fear, and even developed symptoms of an endocrine disorder." She also submitted a hospital diagnosis and described the emotional harm she had suffered.
Chang, however, argued in court that the station and train cars he used were simply part of his commuting route and that he had not intentionally followed the woman.
As for sniffing the seat, he explained, "I just did it because it felt good and was fun."
The court found that Chang had deliberately identified the victim's location and movements and had continuously observed and tracked her. It ruled that his actions caused fear and significantly affected her daily life, and sentenced him to 45 days in detention for violating the Anti-Stalking Act. The sentence may be converted into a fine, and an appeal against the first-instance ruling is possible.
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
