Man sentenced to 38 months for trespassing on railway crossing

Taipei, Jan. 24 (CNA) The Changhua District Court has sentenced a man to three years and two months in prison for trespassing on a railway crossing while riding his motorcycle.

The court found the man surnamed Lai (賴) guilty of an offense against traffic safety, according to the verdict issued on Jan. 14.

The ruling said that in June last year, the man raised the gate to cross the railway crossing as warning bells were sounding and warning lights flashing in an attempt to catch a train at Ershui Station in Changhua County.

The ruling explained that the driver of the approaching train saw the trespasser when he was about 60 meters away and managed to ring the warning bell and hit the brakes in time.

Lai was seen speeding off on his motorcycle to the other side, ramming into and breaking the lowered gate, the ruling stated.

The court said that if the train had hit Lai, it could have flipped over and/or caught fire, posing a significant danger.

The ruling can be appealed.