Taiwanese man sentenced for applying cream to hospital roommate while she slept
A Taiwanese woman sued her male roommate after he secretly applied a pain relief cream to her chest and stomach while she was sleeping in hospital. The man has since been sentenced to six months in prison for the invasive and disrespectful act.
The incident was reported by the Taiwanese website ctwant. The woman, known as A, and the man, known as B, were undergoing treatment at the same time. Despite their initial correspondence, things soon took an abrupt and uncomfortable turn.
The two patients got to know each other while in hospital. A was admitted for a fractured rib. As they interacted more, they exchanged mobile phone contact. B soon messaged A, stating that he intended to visit her ward. Despite no positive response from her, B went ahead and visited A at midnight. At the time, A was under the influence of a sleeping pill, reported ctwant.
Taking advantage of the situation, B lifted A’s clothes and applied a pain relief cream on her chest and stomach. In addition to this disturbing act, he also left a note explaining the usage of the cream. It read…
“I just want you to recover quickly. I hope you do not misunderstand. This cream is very effective.”
Upon waking up and discovering her chest and stomach smeared with cream, A was infuriated.
She asked B…
“How did you change my medicine without my consent?”
Following this confrontation, she decided to sue B for the invasion of her privacy and personal space.
The court respected A’s right to bodily autonomy while condemning B’s disrespectful actions. The judge stated…
“B disregarded others’ physical independence and claimed to treat the wound. He displayed obscene behaviour by applying cream on her private parts while she was asleep, causing psychological harm to her.”
As a result, the High Court in Taiwan sentenced B to six months in prison. He was convicted of taking advantage of the situation to commit indecent assault.
