Supreme Court upholds 9 years, 9 months for Taichung MRT attacker

Taipei, Aug. 29 (CNA) The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a nine-year, nine-month prison sentence for a man who attacked and injured two passengers with knives on a Taichung mass rapid transit (MRT) train in May 2024.

The court said the Taichung Branch of the Taiwan High Court made no errors in its ruling and that the sentence was appropriate, rejecting an appeal filed by the defendant, surnamed Hung (洪).

Hung was initially sentenced to 10 years in prison, but the High Court reduced it to nine years and nine months on April 23 after he reached a settlement with both victims.

According to prosecutors, the incident occurred on May 21, 2024, when the then 20-year-old Hung used three knives to randomly attack passengers, injuring two men, surnamed Hsu (許) and Lu (呂), before he was subdued by others on board.

Hung told prosecutors he was "dissatisfied with the state of Taiwan's society" and wanted to make a statement by killing someone. He also admitted he chose the date to coincide with the 2014 Taipei metro attack, when Cheng Chieh (鄭捷) killed four people and injured 22 others.

In its first trial on Dec. 26, 2024, the Taichung District Court found Hung had premeditated the assault and intended to kill, noting that he wore non-slip gloves and targeted vital areas.

A psychiatric assessment concluded Hung had a mental condition but showed no signs of impairment during the crime, the district court said.

Following Hung's appeal, the High Court acknowledged that while the attack had caused widespread fear, Hung later showed remorse and reached a settlement with one of the victims, leading to a reduction of his original 10-year sentence.