Raphael Lin (林秉樞), who was sentenced to nearly three years in prison for assaulting his then-girlfriend former legislator Kao Chia-yu (高嘉瑜), has been in poor health since Dec. 18 and is receiving medical treatment, the Taipei Detention Center said yesterday.
Considering personal privacy, the center said it could not share details about Lin’s condition.
In October 2023, Lin was sentenced to two years and 10 months for assault, intimidation, slander and other crimes.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
He appealed his sentence, but the High Court dismissed the motion.
During his trial, Lin said he had medical issues including high blood pressure and high blood sugar.
Lin’s father in a statement yesterday said that his son fell gravely ill last month, but claimed that his initial appeal for medical treatment was rejected.
He questioned why there was a delay in getting his son treatment, and wrote a letter to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office to investigate the cause of his illness.
According to local media reports, prosecutors after receiving the letter opened a case to investigate whether Lin was harmed on purpose.
Although Lin was in good health prior to starting his sentence, his condition has deteriorated over the past eight months, his father’s statement said.
He was found to have heart and kidney problems, and during his last visit, his father felt his body was swollen and his eyes dull, the statement said.
During that visit, Lin was mumbling incoherently and was exhausted both physically and mentally, the statement said, leading to his family requesting the detention center to provide medical assistance.
After arriving in the hospital on Dec. 18, Lin suffered multiple organ failure, briefly lost signs of life and needed to be resuscitated, the statement said.
Lin is still on life support, and Lin’s father has requested his son receive medical parole, it added.
Additional reporting by CNA
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