Three men have been given prison terms ranging from 56 months to nine years after being found guilty of physically assaulting a male university student after a traffic incident in 2021.
The Taichung District Court on Wednesday sentenced defendant Chang Tun-liang (???) to nine years in prison for attempted murder and coercion and defendants Lee Wei-lin (???) and Chen Ching-hao (???) to four years and eight months in jail for coercion and aggravated assault.
The ruling can be appealed.
The three attacked a university student surnamed Sung (?) after the right side of Sung’s vehicle hit the left side of the Maserati Lee was driving as Sung tried to switch from the fast lanes to the slow lanes of Taiwan Boulevard in Taichung on Nov. 7, 2021.
The Maserati was owned by Chang’s mother.
The two cars came to a stop, and three men ordered Sung to exit his car and subjected him to a violent beating on a sidewalk, at one point threatening him not to report the incident to the authorities.
A passer-by reported the incident as it was happening, however, and the police appeared at the scene, eventually taking the three suspects in for questioning.
Sung fell into a coma and was diagnosed with cerebral hemorrhaging after being hospitalized.
Sung’s mother expressed dissatisfaction over the ruling Wednesday and said she would consult with her lawyer on whether to ask prosecutors to file an appeal.
She accused the three suspects of not showing any willingness over the past year to be accountable for their actions, saying they tried to avoid reaching a settlement and often checked on Sung’s injuries, hoping that they were not serious or long term in nature to limit potential compensation.
Those actions, she said, left her and her son feeling like they were being “played” with.
Since the incident, Sung has often panicked for no reason, and when such episodes hit, he turns pale, feels dizzy and vomits, she said, adding that she was also still struggling to come to terms with the reality.
Her son is still undergoing rehabilitation, she said.
Chang, who was 23 at the time of the accident, has been in detention since late 2021, while Lee, who was 25 at the time and Chen, who was 19, were released on bail late last year.
During the trial, Chang pleaded guilty to assaulting and coercing Sung, but denied that he had attempted to murder Sung, and he has apologized and asked to settle the case with Sung.
Chang’s lawyer said the two sides failed to reach a settlement after Sung’s family asked for NT$15 million (US$490,079) in compensation.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel