British fugitive Zain Dean, who fled Taiwan before he was to begin serving a jail term for manslaughter in a hit-and-run accident, should pay NT$7.55 million (US$254,630) in compensation to the family of his victim, a court ruled on Wednesday.
The Taipei District Court said that the victim, a newspaper deliveryman surnamed Huang (黃), was only 31 years old when he died in the accident in March 2010. Although Dean has no assets under his name in Taiwan, he served as head of the UK-based NCL Media’s Taiwan branch, and was reportedly driving a Mercedez-Benz when the accident took place, which the court said shows that he still had substantial financial means.
The judges said that because Dean was to blame for the accident, but denied responsibility and fled Taiwan by using his friend’s passport before his scheduled incarceration, a sum of NT$7.55 million was appropriate. Huang’s family had demanded nearly NT$10 million in compensation. The case can still be appealed.
Huang’s elder sister said that “the most important thing is to find Dean’s whereabouts and bring him back to face justice.”
The Taiwan High Court sentenced Dean to four years in jail after being convicted in July last year on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, manslaughter and committing a hit-and-run. The hit-and-run charge is being appealed.
Dean was supposed to begin his sentence last year, but fled the country on Aug. 14 last year. The authorities put Dean on the nation’s wanted list on Jan. 29.
Dean issued a statement last month in which he continued to assert his innocence, especially questioning the prosecutors’ handling of video evidence that might have shown the accident. Dean said that he would be willing to return to be retried on four conditions, including having the video evidence being presented in court and having human rights observers present at the new trial.
Taipei prosecutors flatly rejected the conditions.
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday expressed “grave concerns” after Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) reiterated the city-state’s opposition to “Taiwanese independence” during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強). In Singapore on Saturday, Wong and Li discussed cross-strait developments, the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “Prime Minister Wong reiterated that Singapore has a clear and consistent ‘one China’ policy and is opposed to Taiwan independence,” it said. MOFA responded that it is an objective fact and a common understanding shared by many that the Republic of China (ROC) is an independent, sovereign nation, with world-leading
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS