网络隔空猥亵案件中“公共场所当众”的认定及其限度

Identification and Limits of “In Public Places and in Public” in Online Remote Molestation Cases

摘要: 随着网络社交、直播平台和即时通信工具的发展，猥亵行为逐渐突破线下实体空间限制，“公共场所当众”在网络隔空猥亵案件中的适用由此成为司法认定中的重要问题。网络隔空猥亵的入罪判断与“公共场所当众”的加重处罚认定并不属于同一层次，二者应分别审查。对前者，行为人通过视频聊天、语音互动、图片传输等方式胁迫、诱骗未成年人暴露身体隐私部位或者实施淫秽行为的，可以纳入猥亵类犯罪评价。对后者，不能将网络空间整体视为公共场所，而应结合平台开放程度、参与对象是否具有不特定性、行为能否被多人即时感知以及被害人羞辱感、心理侵害是否明显加重进行实质判断。开放式直播平台、公共聊天室和可供不特定多数人同步进入的群组，具备进入“公共场所当众”评价的可能；一对一私聊、封闭小范围群聊以及公众无法自由进入的平台，一般不宜直接认定。同时，“公共场所当众”属于法定加重处罚情节，其适用还应综合考量行为次数、持续时间、传播范围、胁迫强度、参与人数和危害后果。在数字环境下，刑法有必要回应网络猥亵的新变化，但这种回应仍应以构成要件边界为限。

Abstract: With the development of social networking, live-streaming platforms, and instant messaging tools, acts of molestation have increasingly moved beyond physical space, making the application of the circumstance of committing the offense “in public places and in public” a key issue in online remote molestation cases. The criminalization of online remote molestation and the aggravated circumstance of “in public places and in public” belong to different levels of legal assessment and should be examined separately. As to the former, where an offender coerces or lures a minor through video chat, voice interaction, or image transmission to expose intimate body parts or perform obscene acts, the conduct may fall within the scope of molestation-related crimes. As to the latter, cyberspace as a whole should not be automatically regarded as a public place. Courts should instead make a substantive assessment based on the openness of the platform, the indeterminacy of participants, the possibility of real-time perception by multiple persons, and whether the victim’s humiliation and psychological harm are significantly aggravated. Open live-streaming platforms, public chat rooms, and online groups accessible to an indeterminate number of users may satisfy this requirement, whereas one-to-one private chats, closed small-group chats, and platforms not freely accessible to the public generally should not. Since “in public places and in public” is a statutory aggravating circumstance, its application should further depend on a comprehensive evaluation of the number of acts, duration, scope of dissemination, degree of coercion, number of participants, and harmful consequences. Criminal law should respond to the new forms of online molestation in the digital age, but such response must remain within the boundaries of statutory interpretation.