Yunlin District Court Sentences Stalker to Six Months
A Vietnamese man tracked an ex-colleague and carried a cleaver near a police station after she reported him, Yahoo新聞 reported. Prosecutors charged the defendant, surnamed Du, under provisions covering the carrying of weapons during stalking and harassment offenses.
Du pursued the victim after she rejected his romantic advances. The Yunlin District Court sentenced him to six months in prison with the option of a fine.
Judges decided against deportation. They cited his lack of a prior criminal record and his confession.
Knife Attack and Threats at The Victim’s Home
The harassment began on July 19 when Du sent Messenger messages telling the woman not to let him find her. He then went to her residence, demanded she open the door, slashed a screen door with a fruit knife, and threatened to kill her daughter. The victim calmed him down until he handed her the fruit knife and left.
Two days later, Du waited outside the victim’s workplace and followed her motorcycle home. She told him explicitly not to contact her again. He ignored the warning and followed her to her residence.
The next morning, Du waited outside her home again. He followed the woman and her daughter, stationing himself outside the school until the victim realized she was being followed and called police.
Arrest Near The Police Station
The victim went to a branch office to file a report that afternoon. Du learned she was reporting him and brought a cleaver to the vicinity of the station to watch the location.
He messaged the victim to let her know he knew she was filing a report. The woman immediately informed the handling officers.
Police intercepted Du at an intersection roughly 50 meters from the branch office. Officers seized the cleaver he carried.
Court Findings on Danger and Deportation
Judges said that carrying weapons to stake out, wait for, and follow the victim, alongside slashing a screen door and making death threats, severely disrupted the woman’s peace of life. The court noted these actions placed her under physical threat even inside her own home, making the crime and its harm significant.
The court factored in his confession and clean record. Judges determined he committed the offenses due to a temporary lapse in judgment and found no evidence he posed a continued threat to public safety.
The 6-month sentence allows for commutation to a fine calculated at NT$1,000 per day. The court ordered the confiscation of both the fruit knife and the cleaver.
Common Questions About The Case
Why was the defendant not deported?
Judges weighed his lack of prior convictions, his confession, and his valid legal residency status in Taiwan. The court ruled the acts stemmed from a temporary lapse in judgment.
What weapons did the defendant use?
Du used a fruit knife to slash a screen door at the victim’s home and later carried a cleaver near the police station where she filed her report.
What is the status of the legal proceedings?
The Yunlin District Court issued its ruling recently, and the case remains subject to appeal.
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