A court in Taiwan has upheld a six-year sentence in a disturbing home-invasion sexual assault case, a firm outcome for the victims.

• A drunk man in Taoyuan knocked on random hotel room doors at dawn last October, then shoved his way into a room where a woman was resting with her young son.
• He pinned her to the floor, tore at her clothes, groped and kissed her, and tried to rape her while covering her mouth as she screamed.
• The woman's son, under 12, tried to intervene and was pushed into a wall, hurting his knee.
• The husband returned about 20 minutes later, pulled the attacker off his wife, restrained him, and called police, stopping the assault.
• The man claimed he was too drunk and drugged on sleeping pills to know what he was doing, but police found him lucid, his story kept changing, and the woman's scratches showed a violent struggle.

Outlook: The High Court has rejected his appeal, so the six-year sentence for attempted rape plus three months for injuring the child now stands.