The Yunlin District Court yesterday acquitted a man who was prosecuted for stealing a packet of tissues, saying the justice system should show kindness when the offense is minor and the accused have a medical condition.
The case involved a 21-year-old university student surnamed Chen (陳) who in April took a packet of paper tissues, priced at NT$10, from a convenience store in the county’s Huwei Township (虎尾) without paying as he rushed to a restroom.
The store clerk called the police to report the theft, and the store’s surveillance camera footage was used as evidence against Chen.
Photo: Lee Wen-te, Taipei Times
Chen said he had irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
The judge said he had verified that Chen has had IBS since childhood and has regular and sometimes unexpected bowel movements, needing to use the toilet regularly.
Judge Wang Tzu-yung (王子榮) granted a “discharge” to exempt Chen from punishment, under which a defendant is found guilty or pleads guilty, but the judge decides that a conviction and criminal record are not necessary.
Wang in the ruling concluded his decision by quoting lines from the popular Taiwan TV drama Port of Lies (八尺門辯護人) released last year.
“A person must be very lucky in life, to be seated comfortably like some of us here for the court trial. It leads one to believe the world is full of kindness, but those of us who hold absolute power, we can be cruel when dealing with law offenders,” the ruling said.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first
MINOR DISRUPTION: The outage affected check-in and security screening, while passport control was done manually and runway operations continued unaffected The main departure hall and other parts of Terminal 2 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport lost power on Tuesday, causing confusion among passengers before electricity was fully restored more than an hour later. The outage, the cause of which is still being investigated, began at about midday and affected parts of Terminal 2, including the check-in gates, the security screening area and some duty-free shops. Parts of the terminal immediately activated backup power sources, while others remained dark until power was restored in some of the affected areas starting at 12:23pm. Power was fully restored at 1:13pm. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a
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