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.
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