Convicted Taipei MRT killer Cheng Chieh (鄭捷) yesterday said he hoped for the judicial process to end soon and that he deserved to be put to death for his crime, as his lawyers continued to put up a legal defense in Cheng’s appeal hearing at the Supreme Court in Taipei.
Citing the exceptional circumstances of the case and its impact on society, the Supreme Court decided — for the first time in the nation’s history — to hear the defendant and his lawyers’ defense in appealing the High Court’s death sentence ruling in October last year.
Cheng, then 21 years old, killed four people and injured 22 in a knife attack on the Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) System on May 21, 2014. The crime increased public fears of random attacks, and led to concerns about personal safety in public places, with ridership on the Taipei MRT system dropping for several weeks after the attack.
Photo: CNA
Reading from a prepared statement, Cheng said he wanted to apologize to the victims and their families.
“Maybe you will not forgive me, because if I were in your shoes, I probably would not forgive either,” he said. “However, maybe my apology can provide some consolation to you, therefore at this time I would like to apologize again.”
He then thanked the Supreme Court for allowing him to appear at the appeal hearing.
“At the start, I did not want to go through the litigation process. I just wanted to get on with it, to have the execution carried out as quickly as possible,” he said.
Cheng then said that his appeals were on the advice of his legal team.
“My lawyers and some people concerned about my life have put in a lot of effort, and they have also encouraged me. I felt all their endeavors should not go to waste, so I have been cooperating with lawyers through the judicial process, so the judges can listen to what the lawyers have to say,” he said.
Cheng concluded by saying: “I have done wrong and deserve to be punished. Maybe I will be executed in a few months’ time, but for inmates not on death row, what can they do?”
Cheng’s lawyers mounted their defense, with the aim of commuting the death sentence.
They said that when police detained and questioned Cheng, they did not inform him of his right to legal counsel, and cited other possible violations in due process of law.
Meanwhile, families of the victims accused the Supreme Court of “unfair treatment” as they were not notified to appear at yesterday’s hearing, saying that their voices had been silenced, but Cheng was given ample time to express his views.
Lee Jui-chang (李瑞昌), the brother of victim Lee Tsui-yun (李翠雲), expressed outrage at the “preferential treatment” Cheng received.
“When Cheng speaks in court, he does not show any remorse and displays the ‘I do not care’ attitude. Still, he could speak his mind today, but the judges did not want to hear from the victims’ families. We are very angry about this, it is very unfair,” Lee said.
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
ON ALERT: Taiwan’s partners would issue warnings if China attempted to use Interpol to target Taiwanese, and the global body has mechanisms to prevent it, an official said China has stationed two to four people specializing in Taiwan affairs at its embassies in several democratic countries to monitor and harass Taiwanese, actions that the host nations would not tolerate, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. Tsai made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which asked him and Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) to report on potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait and military preparedness. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) expressed concern that Beijing has posted personnel from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office to its
BACK TO WORK? Prosecutors said they are considering filing an appeal, while the Hsinchu City Government said it has applied for Ann Kao’s reinstatement as mayor The High Court yesterday found suspended Hsinchu mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) not guilty of embezzling assistant fees, reducing her sentence to six months in prison commutable to a fine from seven years and four months. The verdict acquitted Kao of the corruption charge, but found her guilty of causing a public official to commit document forgery. The High Prosecutors’ Office said it is reviewing the ruling and considering whether to file an appeal. The Taipei District Court in July last year sentenced Kao to seven years and four months in prison, along with a four-year deprivation of civil rights, for contravening the Anti-Corruption
RSS