The owner of an air-conditioning company had his prison sentence reduced to six months, while a worker’s two-year sentence was upheld today in the second ruling on a negligent homicide case from July 2023.
The owner of Jinyao Air Conditioning (金耀冷凍空調), surnamed Liu (劉), and one of his workers, surnamed Lee (李), were charged with negligent homicide after a 21-year-old National Chengchi University student surnamed Huang (黃) was hit on the head by a falling air-conditioner on July 20, 2023.
Huang was waiting at a bus stop near the No. 2 entrance of Xinpu MRT station in New Taipei City and showed no signs of life when medical personnel arrived.
Photo: CNA
Lee was hired by Liu on a freelance contract to install a vertical window air-conditioner at an apartment on Minsheng Road in Banciao District (板橋), prosecutors said.
Lee had no prior experience installing that type of air-conditioner and did not review the installation manual beforehand, they said.
Lee undertook the installation on his own as his partner had resigned, and consulted Liu and other Jinyao employees about the work, they said.
Liu knew that Lee lacked the requisite experience, but allowed him to carry out the job, they said.
The air-conditioner fell from the 17th floor as Lee did not properly attach the unit, prosecutors added.
In the court’s first ruling, which considered that Lee admitted to the crime while Liu denied wrongdoing, Lee was sentenced to two years in prison and Liu to one year and six months.
The decision was appealed, and the case was sent to the Taiwan High Court for a second ruling to consider whether the sentences were appropriate.
Liu failed to effectively supervise Lee and allowed him to perform the installation knowing that he had no experience, likely to save on labor costs, the court said in the second ruling.
This negligence caused the unit to fall from the 17th floor, striking and killing the victim, it said.
The court considered that Liu admitted fault, reached a settlement with the victim’s family and fully compensated them, and had no prior criminal record.
Given that Liu had already paid a significant price and is unlikely to reoffend, his prison sentence was reduced to six months, which could be converted into a fine, the court said.
The sentence is suspended for two years, meaning Liu would not have to serve jail time if he meets the court’s conditions over the period.
Considering Lee’s negligent actions caused the victim’s death and he has yet to reach a settlement or compensate the victim’s family, there is no justification for a lenient sentence, the court said.
The original two-year prison sentence would be upheld and the case may still be appealed, it said.
The Grand Hotel Taipei on Saturday confirmed that its information system had been illegally accessed and expressed its deepest apologies for the concern it has caused its customers, adding that the issue is being investigated by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau. The hotel said that on Tuesday last week, it had discovered an external illegal intrusion into its information system. An initial digital forensic investigation confirmed that parts of the system had been accessed, it said, adding that the possibility that some customer data were stolen and leaked could not be ruled out. The actual scope and content of the affected data
DO THEY BITE IT? Cats have better memories than people might think, but their motivation is based entirely around the chance of getting fed Cats can remember the identity of the people who fed them the day before, Taipei-based veterinarians said on Friday, debunking a popular myth that cats have a short memory. If a stray does not recognize the person who fed them the previous day, it is likely because they are not carrying food and the cat has no reason to recognize them, said Wu Chou Animal Hospital head Chen Chen-huan (陳震寰). “When cats come to a human bearing food, it is coming for the food, not the person,” he said. “The food is the key.” Since the cat’s attention is on the food, it
A New York-based NGO has launched a global initiative to rename the nation’s overseas missions, most of which operate under the name "Taipei," to "Taiwan Representative Office (TRO)," according to a news release. Ming Chiang (江明信), CEO of Hello Taiwan, announced the campaign at a news conference in Berlin on Monday, coinciding with the World Forum held from Monday through Wednesday, the institution stated in the release. Speaking at the event, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Jie (黃捷) said she believed this renaming campaign would enable the international community to see Taiwan
TOO DANGEROUS: The families agreed to suspend crewed recovery efforts that could put rescuers in danger from volcanic gases and unstable terrain The bodies of two Taiwanese tourists and a Japanese pilot have been located inside a volcanic crater, Japanese authorities said yesterday, nearly a month after a sightseeing helicopter crashed during a flight over southwestern Japan. Drone footage taken at the site showed three bodies near the wreckage of the aircraft inside a crater on Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, police and fire officials said. The helicopter went missing on Jan. 20 and was later found on a steep slope inside the Nakadake No. 1 Crater, about 50m below the rim. Authorities said that conditions at the site made survival highly unlikely, and ruled
RSS