Caregiver allegedly beaten, drugged, molested by family

Prosecutors have indicted a Taipei couple and their son for allegedly beating, drugging and sexually molesting an Indonesian caregiver in their home following a dispute in September.

In an indictment filed yesterday, the Taiwan Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said the female caregiver had been hired by a man, surnamed Wu (吳), and his wife, surnamed Chou (周), to help care for Wu’s elderly mother.

Multiple news outlets reported that Wu is a self-identified gangster who previously served prison time for violent crimes.

A sign at the main entrance to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office is pictured in an undated photograph.

Photo: Wu Sheng-ju, Taipei Times

Wu and Chou had become unhappy with how the caregiver was doing her job, and on Sept. 6 allegedly began beating her inside their home, the indictment said.

After the beating, Wu allegedly molested the woman at knifepoint, and threw her phone, smashing it against the ground, prosecutors said.

Wu and Chou allegedly forced the caregiver to drink a beverage spiked with flunitrazepam — a sedative known for being used as a “date rape drug” — causing her to lose consciousness, at which point they left her in the care of their son, the indictment said.

After the caregiver’s friends reported her missing, officers from the Taipei City Police Department’s Xinyi Precinct went to Wu’s home on Sept. 9, where they found her unconscious and with cuts and bruises all over her body.

Police arrested the couple’s son at the scene and summoned Wu and Chou for questioning. All three were later detained.