Local Chinese-language media yesterday reported that a cram-school owner, 38-year-old Chiu Mei (邱梅) from Taipei's Chungcheng district, has been sentenced to seven months in jail for damaging a car and a scooter that were parked in a public parking space in front of her school.
The court reportedly also deprived her of the right to appeal against the verdict.
The school is located on the second floor of a building in a lane off Linsen North Road. According to the report, Chiu monopolized the public parking space by placing a large plant in it when she did not have her car parked there.
The reason for this act was reportedly because it was difficult to find another parking space in the vicinity. Chiu reportedly said that none of the residents in the building had ever complained about this before.
In June, last year, however, a new tenant -- only identified by his family name, Wang -- began parking his car in the space, sometimes for several consecutive days.
According to the report, Chiu said that it was useless explaining the situation to the new tenant, which is why she eventually exploded into a fit of anger and dented the car door by kicking it. She also damaged Wang's scooter, which was parked in front of the door, by using a water hose to soak its electrical system in water.
Chiu said that Wang caught her red-handed and took a picture of her actions, after which she agreed to pay damages. Repair estimates were NT$60,000 but, according to Chiu, Wang demanded NT$300,000 and she could not agree to pay.
According to the report, the court statement says that Chiu, as an intellectual in the field of education, should understand that the lane where her school is located is public, and that all people have the right to park their cars there.
According to the report, this is the heaviest sentence ever issued for over-occupying public parking space -- and it is also the first time that additional court proceedings have been denied, according to which the sentence could have been converted to a fine.
The report says the heaviest previous sentence was four months, but that sentence was converted to a fine.
Meanwhile, Taipei traffic authorities said that more than 100 cases of unlawful occupation of public space have been submitted to the courts this year.
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