A man convicted of stabbing two passengers on the Taichung Metro, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in December last year, has received a reduced sentence of nine years and nine months after reaching a settlement with one of the two victims, the High Court’s Taichung branch said in a statement yesterday.
The 20-year-old man, surnamed Hung (洪), was initially sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempted murder and endangering public safety after the attacks on a Taichung Metro train in May last year in which he stabbed a 27-year-old man surnamed Hsu (許) and a 17-year-old high-school student surnamed Lu (呂).
However, the court said that after considering that Hung has reached a settlement with Lu, it decided to reduce the sentence for attempted murder.
Photo: Chang Jui-chen, Taipei Times
Based on Hung’s previous confession, the types and sharpness of the knives he used and that he stabbed the upper body and head of the victims, seriously injuring them, the High Court ruled that Hung did intend to kill people.
Hung’s denial of attempted murder was determined to be not credible, the High Court said.
Asked about the latest court decision, Lu’s father said that his son decided to forgive Hung, giving him a second chance.
According to prosecutors, the incident occurred on May 21 last year, when Hung used three knives to randomly attack passengers on a Taichung MRT train, injuring two people, before he was subdued by other passengers.
During the investigation, Hung told prosecutors he was dissatisfied with the state of Taiwanese society and wanted to make a statement by killing someone, prosecutors said.
He chose to carry out the assault on the 10th anniversary of a notorious Taipei Metro attack, during which a passenger named Cheng Chieh (鄭捷) killed four people and injured 22 in a stabbing frenzy on a Taipei MRT train on May 21, 2014.
After the prosecutors’ investigation, Hung was charged with attempted murder and public intimidation in June last year.
The ruling can still be appealed.
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