The Hualien District Court has sentenced a man to one year in prison for robbing an elementary-school student of NT$100 (US$3.18) to buy a bowl of noodles, citing the defendant’s exploitation of a vulnerable child.
The man, surnamed Lee (李), in his late 30s, was found guilty of robbery committed by an adult against a child, the court said in a ruling on April 2.
The ruling said Lee targeted a fourth-grade boy who was walking alone on Jan. 27 last year by forcibly reaching into the boy’s pocket and taking a NT$100 bill from him. He then reportedly visited a nearby noodle stand where he spent NT$50 on a meal.
Photo: Taipei Times
After the boy, who was reportedly paralyzed by fear during the encounter, informed his parents, police tracked down Lee, who confessed to the crime, claiming he was desperate for food, the ruling said.
Police recovered the remaining NT$50 from him, it added.
While Lee claimed he acted on impulse, the boy had tried to protect his pocket and shouted “do not rob me,” justifying the more serious charge of snatching rather than simple theft, the court said.
Lee is in the “prime of his life,” yet chose to prey on a defenseless child instead of seeking a proper job, it said.
As an adult, he had deliberately targeted a child under the age of 12, warranting a heavier sentence under the Child and Juvenile Welfare and Rights Protection Act (兒童及少年福利與權益保障法), it said.
The court also cited his prior convictions, including offenses of obstructing official duties and theft, as evidence of poor conduct.
That he resorted to violence against a child over a sum as small as NT$100 showed a severe lack of respect for the rule of law, the court said, imposing a one-year prison term and confiscating the NT$50 he had spent.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
RSS