The Supreme Court today upheld a nine-year, nine-month prison sentence for a man who attacked and injured two passengers with knives on a Taichung subway train in May last year.
The court said the Taichung Branch of the Taiwan High Court made no errors in its ruling and that the sentence was appropriate, rejecting an appeal filed by the defendant, surnamed Hung (洪).
Hung was initially sentenced to 10 years in prison, but the High Court reduced it to nine years and nine months on April 23 after he reached a settlement with one of the victims.
Photo: CNA
The incident occurred on May 21 last year, when Hung, then 20, used three knives to randomly attack passengers, injuring two men, surnamed Hsu (許) and Lu (呂), before he was subdued by others on board, prosecutors said.
Hung told prosecutors he was “dissatisfied with the state of Taiwan's society” and wanted to make a statement by killing someone.
He admitted he chose the date to coincide with the 2014 Taipei metro attack, when Cheng Chieh (鄭捷) killed four people and injured 22 others.
In its first trial on Dec. 26 last year, the Taichung District Court found Hung had premeditated the assault and intended to kill, noting that he wore non-slip gloves and targeted vital areas.
A psychiatric assessment concluded Hung had a mental condition but showed no signs of impairment during the crime, the district court said.
Following Hung’s appeal, the High Court acknowledged that while the attack had caused widespread fear, Hung later showed remorse and reached a settlement with Lu, leading to a reduction of his original 10-year sentence.
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