Taiwan man records wife's affair in home with robot vacuum & sues her, but gets jail for recording without her consent

A man in Taiwan who won a civil lawsuit against his wife for having an affair was jailed for the way he gathered the evidence.

He had used a robot vacuum cleaner to record his wife with her affair partner, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP).

While he was awarded NT$500,000 (S$19,991) for the violation of his marital rights, he was convicted and jailed for unlawfully recording private images.

Wife's affair

Local media reported that the couple got married in 2021 and lived with the man's parents, only visiting their holiday home during holidays, reported SCMP.

In September 2023, the man became suspicious when he discovered a used toothbrush at the holiday home.

He reviewed surveillance footage from a parking garage and recognised a man who had previously driven his wife home.

Three months later, the man saw a live feed from the home’s robot vacuum cleaner via its mobile application, capturing his wife in an intimate encounter with another man.

He began recording the footage to gather evidence for a legal claim.

The footage included scenes of the wife embracing the other man, as well as being unclothed around the house as he lay on the sofa.

Won civil suit, but jailed

The husband eventually used the footage as evidence to sue his wife and her lover for infringing on his marital rights.

The court found his wife's relationship with the other man "surpassed the limits of ordinary friendship" and ordered the pair to compensate the man a sum of NT$500,000 (S$19,991).

However, the wife counter-sued on the count of recording private footage without her consent.

Although the man contended that his actions were “legally justified”, he was found by the court to have unlawfully recorded private images.

They found that marital obligations do not supersede an individual’s right to privacy, SCMP reported.

The man was ultimately sentenced to five months in prison and fined NT$150,000 (S$6003) for unlawfully recording private images.