The man charged in the slaying of a railway police officer last year was acquitted of murder by the Chiayi District Court yesterday, with judges saying that the suspect, surnamed Cheng (鄭), had a mental disorder.
However, Cheng was ordered to undergo five years of psychiatric treatment.
The parents of Lee Cheng-han (李承翰), the 25-year-old railway officer killed in July last year, were at the court. Lee Tseng-wen (李增文), Lee Cheng-han’s father, told reporters after the verdict was announced: “This is outrageous.”
Photo: CNA
“My son was killed in the line of his duty as a police officer and the court gave a not guilty ruling,” he said. “It is painful for me right now. The judges have lost their senses and reason.”
“He was our only son. He worked diligently and was devoted to his family. We have to suffer the pain and sorrow of his death to this day,” he said. “If we could turn back the clock, we would never allow him to work as a police officer.”
Cheng, 55, was examined by psychiatrists, who said that he was suffering from schizophrenia when he stabbed Lee Cheng-han.
“He was under a delusion that affected his behavior at the time,” the psychiatrists said in a report. “His actions resulted from his mental condition.”
“Psychiatrists say that people with schizophrenia must take medication their whole lives. If they do not, they will relapse,” the report said. “Cheng’s mental capacity had deteriorated and he had lost awareness of his action at the time.”
The judges cited Article 19 of the Criminal Code: “An offense is not punishable if it is committed by a person who is mentally disordered.”
Cheng was granted release on NT$500,000 bail, but his family reportedly could not pay the amount, so he remained in detention yesterday.
The stabbing was captured on video.
Cheng had refused to pay his fare and became violent. When the train arrived at Chiayi Station, Lee Cheng-han boarded the car to try and remove him.
In the struggle, Cheng stabbed the officer.
Despite the severe wound, Lee continued to hold Cheng as passengers disarmed him.
Minister of Justice Tsai Ching-hsiang (蔡清祥) said that killing a police officer is a very serious crime and criminals must not be permitted to evade prosecution by using mental disorders as an excuse.
Tsai joined calls from prosecutors and police officials to appeal the ruling.
“The Railway Police Bureau has been one of the Taiwan Railways Administration’s [TRA] important partners, with the two agencies working together over the years to keep passengers safe and rail operations secure,” the TRA said in a statement.
“Railway police officers have helped resolve ticketing disputes. Lee sacrificed his life to protect passengers, but the Chiayi District Court ruled that the perpetrator is not guilty and granted bail of NT$500,000,” it said.
“It is regrettable that the court made this decision and we would support prosecutors should they appeal the verdict,” the TRA said.
“It is our sincere hope that our law enforcement officers have the backing of the judicial system.”
Netizens condemned the ruling, writing that it was another situation where “dinosaur judges” had let a killer get away with his crime.
People also flooded the Judicial Yuan’s Web site with messages criticizing the judges.
Additional reporting by Shelley Shan
‘DANGEROUS GAME’: Legislative Yuan budget cuts have already become a point of discussion for Democrats and Republicans in Washington, Elbridge Colby said Taiwan’s fall to China “would be a disaster for American interests” and Taipei must raise defense spending to deter Beijing, US President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Pentagon policy, Elbridge Colby, said on Tuesday during his US Senate confirmation hearing. The nominee for US undersecretary of defense for policy told the Armed Services Committee that Washington needs to motivate Taiwan to avoid a conflict with China and that he is “profoundly disturbed” about its perceived reluctance to raise defense spending closer to 10 percent of GDP. Colby, a China hawk who also served in the Pentagon in Trump’s first team,
SEPARATE: The MAC rebutted Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is China’s province, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 neither mentions Taiwan nor grants the PRC authority over it The “status quo” of democratic Taiwan and autocratic China not belonging to each other has long been recognized by the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in its rebuttal of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan can only be represented in the UN as “Taiwan, Province of China.” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday at a news conference of the third session at the 14th National People’s Congress said that Taiwan can only be referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is not only history but
CROSSED A LINE: While entertainers working in China have made pro-China statements before, this time it seriously affected the nation’s security and interests, a source said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) late on Saturday night condemned the comments of Taiwanese entertainers who reposted Chinese statements denigrating Taiwan’s sovereignty. The nation’s cross-strait affairs authority issued the statement after several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑), Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜) and Michelle Chen (陳妍希), on Friday and Saturday shared on their respective Sina Weibo (微博) accounts a post by state broadcaster China Central Television. The post showed an image of a map of Taiwan along with the five stars of the Chinese flag, and the message: “Taiwan is never a country. It never was and never will be.” The post followed remarks
INVESTMENT WATCH: The US activity would not affect the firm’s investment in Taiwan, where 11 production lines would likely be completed this year, C.C. Wei said Investments by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in the US should not be a cause for concern, but rather seen as the moment that the company and Taiwan stepped into the global spotlight, President William Lai (賴清德) told a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday alongside TSMC chairman and chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家). Wei and US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday announced plans to invest US$100 billion in the US to build three advanced foundries, two packaging plants, and a research and development center, after Trump threatened to slap tariffs on chips made
RSS