High Court raises sentence to 7 years in Taipei Metro box cutter attack

New Taipei, Feb. 11 (CNA) The Taiwan High Court on Wednesday increased the prison sentence of a 44-year-old woman to seven years for attacking a high school student with a box cutter on the Taipei Metro in 2024, raising the penalty from four years and six months imposed by a lower court.

In its written judgment, the court also ordered the defendant, identified as Wang Ching-ssu (王靖絲), to undergo two years of court-mandated residential psychiatric supervision after completing her sentence, citing her diagnosis of schizophrenia.

The High Court said Wang carried out the attack on the night of Nov. 8, 2024, while riding a Bannan Line train traveling from Xinpu Station toward Dingpu Station in New Taipei.

During the journey, she pulled out a box cutter and slashed a 17-year-old male student, surnamed Cheng (鄭), causing lacerations to his left cheek, neck and ear.

Cheng fought back and, with the help of other passengers, restrained Wang, preventing more serious injuries, the court said.

The incident triggered panic across six train cars, with passengers fleeing and three people injured in the chaos. The train was delayed taking six times its normal time to arrive, disrupting subsequent services and undermining public confidence in metro safety, according to the ruling.

The court found that Wang was experiencing auditory hallucinations at the time and mistakenly believed the student was stalking her, impairing her ability to judge her actions.

While her mental condition warranted a reduced sentence under the Criminal Code, the High Court said the original ruling failed to adequately reflect the severity of the attack and its broader social impact.

The panel concluded that Wang's conduct constituted attempted murder, as well as offenses related to obstructing railway operations and endangering the functioning of a mass rapid transit system, and ruled that sentencing should be based on the most serious charge.

The court said Wang had only glanced briefly at the victim before the attack and could not determine the 17-year-old was a minor, making harsher penalties applicable under the Protection of Children and Youth Welfare and Rights Act inapplicable.

However, it applied Paragraph 2, Article 19 of the Criminal Code, allowing for a reduced sentence due to her diminished capacity, the High Court added.

Wang was indicted for attempted murder by New Taipei prosecutors in December 2024.

In November last year, the New Taipei District Court handed her a four-year, six-month prison sentence for attempted murder by an adult against a minor.

Both prosecutors and Wang have appealed the ruling.