The Taiwan High Court yesterday upheld a conviction against martial arts instructor Chu Hsueh-chang (朱雪璋) for ambushing another fighter in 2016, handing him a six-year jail sentence for causing serious injuries and showing no remorse for his actions.
Chu’s wife, Wu Pei-hua (吳佩樺), was handed a five-month term for her role in the incident, which could be commuted to a fine.
It was the second ruling on the case and can still be appealed.
Photo: Yang Kuo-wen, Taipei Times
In February 2016, judo instructor Kenny Wu-lin Wang (王毓霖) challenged Chu to a duel to settle personal disputes.
Chu, with the assistance of his wife, set an ambush for Wang, calling on 20 other men for assistance at the judo school he operated near his residence in Taipei’s Daan District (大安), the court found.
After Wang was subdued by the group, Chu used a sword to cut one of Wang’s Achilles tendons, his back and his shoulders, leaving Wang unable to practice martial arts, even after a long hospitalization.
In the first ruling by the Taipei District Court, Chu was convicted of causing serious bodily harm and given a six-year sentence.
His wife was also found guilty and given a five-month term, while their accomplices received shorter sentences of two to six months, which could be commuted to fines.
The High Court judges yesterday highlighted that Chu breached the principles and code of honor of martial arts practitioners, saying that even though he was a judo instructor, he chose to ambush Wu in what should have been a one-on-one duel.
As a judo master, Chu has professional knowledge about human anatomy that he used to incapacitate Wang with the sword, they said.
It was a serious crime and there should be no leniency for Chu, as Wang went into shock due to a loss of blood and even after long treatment, he can no longer practice martial arts, they added.
The ruling said that Chu had shown no remorse throughout the trials, nor had he paid Wang compensation as he had promised.
The case has received significant media attention, as 43-year-old Chu was a borough warden and has claimed to be a direct descendant of Chu Yuan-chang (朱元璋), the Chinese emperor who founded the Ming Dynasty in 1368.
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