Miaoli repeat offender gets 29 years for stabbing attacks (update)

Taipei, April 7 (CNA) The Miaoli District Court on Tuesday sentenced a repeat offender to 29 years in prison for carrying out indiscriminate stabbing attacks that injured two elementary school girls and a man in Miaoli City in October 2025.

The sentence was given after the court found the defendant, Chiu Ming-chih (邱明治), in his late 40s, guilty of attempted murder of minors, attempted murder, and driving under the influence of drugs, the court said in a statement.

The harsh sentence came in part because Chiu had been released from prison just six months before the stabbings after serving time for an attempted murder conviction related to a 2015 multiple stabbing case, the court said.

The ruling can be appealed.

According to the court, Chiu took methamphetamine on the morning of Oct. 2 before taping a 30-centimeter knife to his left hand and riding a scooter in search of victims.

He attacked an elementary school girl walking alone at around 4 p.m. that afternoon, stabbing at her neck and chest. The girl managed to escape to a nearby convenience store and ask a man for help.

Chiu followed her and stabbed the man before targeting another elementary school girl, whom he also injured in the chest, the court said.

All three victims survived after receiving emergency treatment.

Citing Chiu's prior conviction and recent release, the court found that Chiu qualified as a repeat offender and it decided to impose an aggravated sentence under the Criminal Code because he showed malice and a lack of rehabilitation in committing the offenses.

While Chiu claimed he acted impulsively due to emotional issues and drug use, the court found he retained sufficient awareness and control, based on his ability to move purposefully and resist arrest.

It therefore ruled that sentence reduction provisions did not apply.

The court added that the attacks on children and passersby in a public space were particularly cruel, violating the victims' rights to life and bodily integrity and generating significant public alarm.

Ruling falls short of victim family's expectations

In response, the male victim's wife said she was "very dissatisfied" with the ruling and plans to ask prosecutors to file an appeal.

In a telephone interview, she said she had expected a life sentence for Chiu, adding that the 29-year term could allow him to be released in about 14 and a half years -- a prospect she said would raise public concern.

She said her husband suffered deep penetrating wounds to the right front chest and lower left back, along with a hemopneumothorax and lacerations to the diaphragm and liver.

The injuries were severe and nearly cost him his life, she said. Although her husband has largely recovered, his lung function has not fully returned, and he continues to cough involuntarily.

She added that, given the high-profile nature of the case, only a heavier sentence would serve as an effective deterrent against similar crimes.

Meanwhile, a teacher who intervened to protect the second child said she respected the judicial process, but called on the authorities to strengthen monitoring of former offenders to prevent similar incidents.

The Miaoli District Prosecutors Office said it will decide whether to appeal after receiving the written verdict.