Earlier this year, many Taiwanese celebrities were accused of sexual assault in a nationwide scandal many have come to call the “Taiwanese #MeToo movement”. One of the many male celebrities accused of sexually harassing and molesting multiple women was renowned host NONO, real name Chen Xuan Yu (陈宣裕).
It was reported that NONO faced a total of ten criminal charges out of the twenty accusations of sexual assault – but, after months of investigation, the disgraced television personality has been freed of charges for three accusations. According to news reports, the charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence to prove that NONO was guilty of the crimes.
One of the three accusations came from a masseuse who alleged the assault happened between 2011 and 2013. NONO denied the allegations and emphasised that he doesn’t recall the incident. The masseuse’s accusation was also inconsistent with testimonies from former colleagues and her medical records. The police also couldn’t find any proof of contact between her and NONO, which led to the case being dropped.
Another woman had accused NONO of forcibly kissing her and touching her breast while in a car in Taipei. The woman claimed the incident happened in December 2011, but that was the only accusation, which wasn’t enough to prosecute the celeb. The third accusation was from a woman who claimed NONO forced himself upon her at a club in 2010. He allegedly tried to kiss her and touch her breast, but like the other case, there was not enough evidence to prove NONO was guilty.
The authorities will continue to investigate the television host for the other seven charges, including one from Internet live broadcast host, Teacher Xiaohong (小红老师). The host previously shared a lengthy Facebook post detailing the harassment she faced by the television personality. News outlets report that Teacher Xiaohong’s accusation and the ongoing cases have been transferred to the Shilin District Prosecutor’s Office for investigation.
As investigations are ongoing, it’s hard to tell what will happen next – but we hope that justice will prevail and the truth will be revealed.
Sources: China Press, Oriental Daily
