A man on Friday was sentenced to six years and eight months behind bars for hitting and killing a Singaporean pedestrian in Taipei while driving under the influence, the Taipei District Court said.
The Taiwanese driver, surnamed Hsiang (向), showed remorse and made an effort to make up for the incident in November 2022 by turning himself in and reaching a settlement with family members of the deceased, the court said in a news release.
Hsiang faced a minimum sentence of five years, but could have been sentenced to life imprisonment as the drunk driving offense occurred within 10 years of a previous offense, prosecutors said during his indictment in July last year.
Photo: Wang Meng-lun, Taipei Times
Prosecutors had sought a sentence of eight to 10 years.
Prior to the latest accident, in which Hsiang drove without a license and exceeded the speed limit, he had been fined for drunk driving offenses on two occasions in 2015 and 2019, the court said.
However, on Nov. 1, 2022, Hsiang hit the Singaporean national crossing the street at a designated crosswalk on Dunhua S Road after drinking half a bottle of red wine, the court said.
Despite the severity of the crime, Hsiang showed positive post-offense conduct, it added.
Hsiang turned himself in to the police, before a breath alcohol test showed a reading of 0.58mg per liter, well above the legal threshold of 0.25mg per liter, the court said.
In addition, Hsiang wired NT$8 million (US $247,097) to the victim’s family after reaching a settlement with them, it said.
It was revealed in the case, which was heard by lay judges alongside professional judges, that the victim was also partly responsible for the incident because he was crossing the road when the light was red, the court said.
The ruling can be appealed.
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