Aaron Yan, an actor and former member of famous Taiwanese idol group Fahrenheit, has been indicted on charges of sexual exploitation of same-sex minors.
According to local media in Taiwan on November 10, Taiwan’s Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Aaron Yan in accordance with the regulations to prevent sexual exploitation of children and adolescents. In particular, Aaron Yan is accused of illegally filming and possessing videos of sexual with minors.
He was also accused of violating sexual autonomy, including sexual assault on minors, but was not indicted on the grounds of insufficient evidence.
Back in June, footage in which Aaron Yan had sex with a same-sex minor was leaked, causing a stir. The man in the video is Yao Le, a Taiwanese Internet broadcaster who revealed that he dated Aaron Yan in 2018 in June, and was forced to film sex scenes without consent. At that time, Yao Le was 16 years old and Aaron Yan was 32 years old, shocking many people.
Yao Le broke up with Aaron Yan after it was revealed that he had dated three men at the same time, but later held a press conference, saying he was threatened and that he would sue the latter for sexual assault, illegal filming and leakage. At the press conference, Aaron Yan suddenly appeared to apologize to Yao Le but received heavy criticisms, and his entertainment activities have since been virtually suspended.
Later, the Taiwanese police began an investigation into Aaron Yan on charges of violating the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act. Police searched Aaron Yan’s home and studio and imposed 500,000 Chinese Yuan (around 68,000 USD) in bail and a ban on leaving the country, believing he was related to sexual exploitation of minors.
Meanwhile, Aaron Yan claimed that he never forced or threatened Yao Le to have sex after dating or breaking up. During questioning, he also said that he asked Yao Le if he was of age before taking the video, and denied his association with the video leakage, claiming that the footage was stolen when he took his phone in for repairs.
“I don’t understand the motive for the other party to file a lawsuit whether it’s for honor or for profit,” he said in a statement.
Source: Naver, Taipei Times
