The husband filed a civil lawsuit against his wife and the other man, alleging they had infringed on his marital rights.
A Taiwanese man sued his wife and lover over an affair after he recorded them using a robot vacuum cleaner. Photo / Getty Images
According to the SCMP, he sought NT$2 million ($107,000) in damages. The court found the relationship had exceeded the bounds of ordinary friendship and ordered the pair to jointly pay the husband NT$500,000 ($27,000) in compensation.
The civil victory was followed by criminal proceedings after the wife filed a complaint alleging she had been recorded without her consent.
The husband admitted operating the robot vacuum and recording the footage but argued his actions were legally justified as the material had been accepted as evidence in the civil case.
The court rejected that defence, ruling that marital obligations do not override an individual’s right to privacy. It also found the recording was a deliberate act rather than an accidental consequence of viewing the live camera feed, according to the SCMP.
The man was convicted of unlawfully recording private images and sentenced to five months’ imprisonment. According to the SCMP, he was also fined NT$150,000 ($8000).
Under Taiwanese law, it is a criminal offence to secretly film, record, observe or otherwise intrude on another person’s private activities, conversations or bodily privacy without their consent or a legitimate reason.
A conviction can result in a penalty of up to three years’ imprisonment, detention, or a fine of up to NT$300,000 ($16,170).