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We’re not really sure what to make out of this recent bizarre news out of Taiwan. Nine years ago, a man who was 32 years old at the time claimed to have fallen in love with an eight-year-old girl, even receiving a promise from the girl’s mother that he could wed the girl once she came of age. He then reportedly spent the next several years providing the girl’s family with financial assistance.

Fast-forward to the present, where the man learns that not only has his “betrothed” secretly married another man, but even has her own child. His next course of action is to file a lawsuit against the girl’s mother for fraud. How do you think his case turned out? More details after the jump.

Eleven years ago, the then-32-year-old man was working as a  teacher at a kindergarten in Taipei, Taiwan when he apparently “fell in love” with one of his eight-year-old students. He eventually consulted the girl’s mother, and she agreed to give her daughter to him in marriage once she grew up. As the girl grew older, he supported her financially, paying for her school tuition and living expenses, and taking her on outings. He even paid off the mother’s outstanding debts. In total, the man spent approximately 900,000 Taiwanese dollars (US $29,714) on the girl and her mother.

Nine years later, the man happened to see the now 17-year-old girl’s Facebook profile picture, whereupon he was shocked to learn that she had married another man in 2011 and had a child with him. Irate, he took the girl’s mother to court for fraud. However, the case didn’t quite go as he had hoped.

The judge ruled that the original marriage contract from nine years ago (which was initially only a verbal agreement) went against public morals, and declared the whole promise of marriage to be null from the start. Furthermore, the fact that the girl’s mother can neither read nor write raised serious doubts about the authenticity of the written contract created in 2012, which, it was noted, was after the girl married another man. His claim of fraud was also rejected in the process. The man is apparently still trying to fight the case.

The following are two news reports detailing the situation:

Public opinion was all over the place, with some net users seeming to put more blame on the mother while others couldn’t comprehend how a 32-year-old man could “fall in love” with such a young girl. Here are some of their comments:

“Speaking as a woman, this guy must be a pervert! But I don’t think the mother’s right, either.”

“Don’t you think the mother is terrible?!”

“The poor guy…”

“I agree that the contract should be nullified, but they should give him the money back.”

“The mother is terrible, but the girl’s not at fault.”

“The girl must have appreciated all the things her “uncle” bought for her when she was younger.”

“If he was good-looking the story might have turned out differently…”

What’s your personal take on this decidedly disturbing scenario? Who is most at fault here?

Original article by Meg Sawai
Sources/Images: Apple Daily, ET Today (Chinese)
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