Taipei, April 23 (CNA) 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, according to a statement issued by the High Court’s Taichung Branch on Wednesday.
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 last May in which he stabbed a 27-year-old man surnamed Hsu (許) and a 17-year-old high school student surnamed Lu (呂).
However, after considering that Hung has reached a settlement with Lu, the court decided to reduce the sentence for attempted murder, according to the statement.
Based on Hung’s previous confession, the types and sharpness of the knives he used and the fact he stabbed the upper body and head of the victims, seriously injuring them, the high court ruled that Hung did intend to kill people, the high court branch said, adding that Hung’s denial of attempted murder was determined to be not credible.
Asked about the latest court decision, Lu’s father told a CNA reporter over the phone that his son decided to forgive Hung, giving him a second chance.
According to prosecutors, the incident occurred on May 21, 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 Taiwan’s 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.
