A Taiwanese appeals court cut a man's jail term in half because his mental age was judged to be that of a 10-year-old, a ruling that will comfort disability advocates but frustrate victims of image-based abuse.

• A Keelung man was first given six months in jail for posting someone else's intimate images online.
• On appeal, the court found his IQ is 58 — close to moderate intellectual disability — and his mental age is that of a primary school child.
• The appeals court said the first ruling failed to weigh how much harder it is for him to control his impulses.
• His sentence was cut to three months, which he can pay off as a fine instead of serving.
• The court also noted he admitted the crime, deleted the images, and is now supervised by family.

Outlook: The reduced term is likely to reignite debate in Taiwan over how courts balance intellectual disability against the harm done to victims of leaked private images.