The High Court yesterday found a man guilty of stabbing and killing a railway police officer last year, overturning an earlier acquittal.
The court sentenced the man, surnamed Cheng (鄭), to 17 years in prison, after which he must undergo five years of custodial protection to monitor and treat his mental health issues.
Upon learning of the ruling, the mother of slain Railway Police Bureau officer Lee Cheng-han (李承翰) said: “With some reluctance, I can accept this decision.”
Photo: Wang Shan-yen, Taipei Times
“I think the sentencing can help to make our society safer,” she said. “By the time that Cheng finishes his prison sentence, I hope that he will never again endanger the public.”
“It conforms more to society’s expectations,” Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said of the ruling.
Cheng, 55, was found guilty of homicide and of using violence against a public official on duty.
A psychiatric evaluation had found that Cheng had mental disorders, impaired judgement and diminished capacity, but that he still had enough control over his actions to be held responsible.
“The panel of judges concluded to overturn the earlier acquittal decision, since it was based on an erroneous interpretation of Cheng’s mental condition from the psychiatric evaluation,” presiding judge Chen Lien-fa (陳連發) said.
“We also believe that if Cheng does not receive appropriate treatment, he is likely to pose a danger to society when released from prison, and could cause bodily harm and threaten people’s lives, so we have imposed five years of custodial protection following his release to monitor and treat his mental condition,” Chen added.
Yesterday’s ruling was the second in the case. The defendant and the prosecution can appeal.
Lee, 25, was killed in the line of duty on July 3, 2019, after being stabbed by Cheng, who did not have a ticket and refused to pay for his fare on a northbound express train.
Cheng’s actions were captured on video by other passengers.
Many people hailed Lee as a hero who acted with courage to protect the train’s passengers. A plaque was later put up at the station to commemorate his heroism.
On April 30 last year, when the Chiayi District Court acquitted Cheng of murder based on the psychiatric evaluation, there was a public outcry.
Lee’s father told reporters after the Chiayi court’s verdict was announced: “This is outrageous.”
“My son was killed in the line of 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.”
The father died one month after the first ruling from a stomach hemorrhage.
Lee’s mother said that it was her wish that her husband could have been there to hear yesterday’s decision, “because he very much cared about the outcome of the case and some justice has been restored.”
ANNOUNCEMENT: People who do not comply with the ban after a spoken warning would be reported to the police, the airport company said on Friday Taoyuan International Airport Corp on Friday announced that riding on vehicles, including scooter-suitcases (also known as “scootcases”), bicycles, scooters and skateboards, is prohibited in the airport’s terminals. Those using such vehicles should manually pull them or place them on luggage trolleys, the company said in a Facebook post. The ban intends to maintain order and protect travelers’ safety, as the airport often sees large crowds of people, it said, adding that it has stepped up publicity for the regulation, and those who do not comply after a spoken warning would be reported to the police. The company yesterday said that
QUIET START: Nearly a week after applications opened, agencies did not announce or promote the program, nor did they explain how it differed from other visitor visas Taiwan has launched a six-month “digital nomad visitor visa” program for foreign nationals from its list of visa-exempt countries who meet financial eligibility criteria and provide proof of work contracts. To apply, foreign nationals must either provide proof that they have obtained a digital nomad visa issued by another country or demonstrate earnings based on age brackets, the Bureau of Consular Affairs said. Applicants aged 20 to 29 must show they earned an annual salary of at least US$20,000 or its equivalent in one of the past two years, while those aged 30 or older must provide proof they earned US$40,000 in
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS: The suspects formed spy networks and paramilitary groups to kill government officials during a possible Chinese invasion, prosecutors said Prosecutors have indicted seven retired military officers, members of the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, for allegedly obtaining funds from China, and forming paramilitary groups and assassination squads in Taiwan to collaborate with Chinese troops in a possible war. The suspects contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法) by taking photos and drawing maps of key radar stations, missile installations and the American Institute in Taiwan’s headquarters in Taipei, prosecutors said. They allegedly prepared to collaborate with China during a possible invasion of Taiwan, prosecutors said. Retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), 62, a Republic of China Army Academy graduate, went to China
UNITY MESSAGE: Rather than focusing on what Trump said on the campaign trail about Taiwan, Taipei should be willing to engage with the US, Pompeo said Taiwan plays a key role in Washington’s model of deterrence against China, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Taipei yesterday. During US president-elect Donald Trump’s first term, “we had developed what we believe was a pretty effective model of deterrence against adversaries who wanted to undermine the set of rules and values that the people of Taiwan and the people of the US hold dear,” Pompeo said at a forum organized by the Formosa Republican Association. “Succeeding in continuing to build this model will not solely rest at the feet of president Trump and his team,
RSS