Takateru Tomoyori, the Japanese friend of Taiwanese-Japanese actress Makiyo who received a suspended prison sentence for assaulting a cab driver earlier this year, could be expelled from Taiwan as early as today, prosecutors said yesterday.
Makiyo and Tomoyori were charged with assault after they were caught on video kicking and beating the taxi driver, Lin Yu-chun (林余駿), on the night of Feb. 2.
According to the Taipei District Court ruling, the incident was triggered when Lin refused Makiyo’s request to drive faster.
The Taiwan High Court on Aug. 1 upheld the Taipei District Court’s decision to give Makiyo a 10-month sentence, suspended for three years, and Tomoyori a one-year sentence, suspended for four years.
The two have been subpoenaed by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office to report to the authorities today for execution of the court’s ruling.
In line with the nation’s measures that stipulate that foreign nationals who are on probation could opt for expulsion as an alternative, Tomoyori could therefore be expelled from Taiwan as early as today, prosecutors said.
However, Makiyo does not face expulsion because she obtained Republic of China nationality shortly after the first ruling, prosecutors said.
Lin suffered two fractured ribs and serious head injuries that left him with a concussion and a brain hemorrhage and forced him to spend several days in hospital.
He later accepted a NT$3 million (US$102,400) out-of-court settlement from Makiyo and Tomoyori.
The district court said in a statement after its ruling that the evidence presented did not prove that Makiyo and Tomoyori intended to cause serious physical harm, because the attack lasted for less than a minute.
It also said Lin’s injuries were not untreatable and did not meet the threshold of serious bodily harm.
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