TAIPEI: The Taiwan High Court on Tuesday ordered a Taipei elementary school to pay NT$1.23 million (US$38,531) in compensation to a student and her family in a case where a physical education teacher sexually violated a sixth grader from 2016-2017.

In the first trial at Taipei District Court, the school was found liable to pay the victim NT$1 million after the tchoukball coach it employed sexually assaulted the girl when she was in the sixth grade multiple times, reported Central News Agency (CNA).

With both the school, the name of which was not revealed and the family filing appeals over the verdict, the case went to the Taiwan High Court.

According to the verdict released by the court Tuesday, the family appealed the initial ruling citing psychological trauma inflicted on the female student and her parents.

The parents argued that the coach had used his position of authority to become sexually involved with their daughter, which resulted in her need for extensive counselling.

The Tuesday verdict upheld the claim of sexual assault made against the male coach.

The court found the coach guilty of abusing his authority to violate the mental and physical well-being of an underage student, thereby impeding her personal development and sexual autonomy.

The court added that although the school has the legal responsibility to compensate the family, the principal, and other senior faculty and staff members were not personally responsible, as the court found them to have properly performed their duties after becoming aware of the situation.

The court found the school guilty of failing in its duty of care and ordered it to pay the family NT$1.23 million.

For the criminal offence of sexually assaulting a minor, the tchoukball coach was fired and, having been indicted and found guilty, was also sentenced to three years and eight months in jail. –Bernama