A Taiwanese court has handed a foreign English teacher a three-and-a-half-year prison term for sexually assaulting a young boy at a church group in Changhua — a rare conviction in a setting where children were told to trust the adults around them.

• The boy was sent to deliver pizza to the teacher's room during a church fellowship event last June.
• The teacher asked for a foot massage, then exposed himself and forced the child to touch him.
• The boy told a cousin afterwards, which is how the abuse came to light.
• The teacher denied everything, saying he only asked for a massage.
• The judge found the child credible — consistent, detailed, and with no reason to lie — and treated the denial as grounds for a heavier sentence.

Outlook: The teacher can appeal, and the case is likely to renew pressure on churches and language schools in Taiwan to vet and supervise foreign staff working with children.