Drunk driver out on NT$100,000 bail

A drunk driver who ran into and killed a policeman and injured two others was released Monday on NT$100,000 bail.

On October 19, a car driven by the accused Hsiao Shu-fei (?/22Q|m) rammed into three police officers at a speed of 80kph, as they were standing outside their squad car questioning a scooter driver for not wearing a helmet.

The prosecutor on duty that day, Chen Wen-che (3???/CHINESE>), released Hsiao on NT$100,000 bail immediately after questioning, on the grounds that Hsiao's act was unintentional.

Weng Hung-tsai (翁宏|b), a chief prosecutor at the Shihlin District Prosecutor's Office (?h林|a檢署), took the case to Shihlin District Prosecutor General Shih Ching-tang (施慶堂), pointing to the possibility of Hsiao's escape and collusion with the passenger of her car, Yang Ya-chiu (楊亞秋), and was approved to take over the case.

Hsiao was arrested, put under detention, and charged with involuntary manslaughter last Saturday.

But Judge Liu Ping-hsin (劉秉鑫) decided on Monday to release Hsiao on bail, citing a lack of evidence showing Hsiao intends to escape.

The ruling has reportedly dismayed prosecutors.

But practicing lawyer Wellington Koo (顧立雄) agrees with the judge's decision to release Hsiao.

"The original ruling to detain Hsiao has a lot to do with the power of public opinion," he said. "It was more an attempt to quell public outrage than a regular legal procedure."

Shih, the prosecutor in charge of the case, said yesterday that he respects the judge's decision. "Just because a person is under detention doesn't mean that the person is guilty," he said. "We hope this case serves as an example."

After the fatal crash, Hsiao tried to flee on foot with a passenger in her car.

She refused to take a breath test on the spot but was later taken to the hospital for a blood test.

The report showed that her blood alcohol content was 0.81 mg/L which is 47 percent above the legal limit of 0.55 mg/L.

In response to the accident, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬-^?E) proposed raising the upper limit on fines for drunk driving to NT$100,000.