TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese woman has been charged with causing bodily harm (重傷害罪) against an Australian student after she admitted to giving him drinks mixed with rat poison.

Alex Shorey, an exchange student from Australia studying at Tamkang University, made headlines last April when he was reported to be in critical condition due to ingesting rat poison. Investigations at that time revealed that 45-year-old Yang (楊), a close female friend, admitted to putting rat poison in juice, but claimed that she had planned to drink it herself and suggested that Shorey drank it accidentally.

After several months of investigation, Taipei City Police suspected that Yang may have administered the rat poison to prevent Shorey from returning to Australia. She has recently been charged with causing bodily harm, and the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office has confirmed receiving the case for an ongoing investigation, reported FTNN News.

Shorey was reported last April to have ingested rat poison, causing organ failure and putting him in critical condition. Hospital diagnoses identified the poisoning as resulting from the ingestion of a second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide.

After medical treatment, Shorey returned to Australia on a medical evacuation flight in May 2023 to continue his recovery. At the time, Shorey's family members erroneously speculated that he had accidentally consumed the poison in a Taiwanese night market, sparking public concern.

During the investigation, it was discovered that while Shorey's parents were taking care of him in Taiwan, they found an empty bottle of rat poison while staying at the home of Yang. Examination of hospital records revealed that Shorey had sought medical attention multiple times starting from March of the previous year due to various health issues.

The police suspected that Yang was aware of Shorey's condition. A bottle of liquid rat poison was found at Yang's residence during a search, leading to her being listed as a suspect.

It was reported that during police questioning, Yang provided inconsistent statements and initially claimed that she bought rat poison to mix with juice in an attempt to take her own life due to depression over her husband's sudden death in early 2022. She claimed that she intended to drink it herself, but alleged that Shorey accidentally drank it when he visited her residence.

Yang insisted that she did not intentionally poison Shorey and even claimed that he was aware of her intentions. After further questioning, prosecutors found Yang's statements suspicious and restricted her from leaving the country, bringing her in for questioning.

However, authorities later discovered that after being investigated, Yang immediately booked a one-way flight to the U.K., raising suspicions of a potential flight. Upon seizing her phone, investigators found indications that Yang was dissatisfied with Shorey frequently visiting nightclubs and socializing with other women, as well as his plans to return to Australia, potentially prompting her to use rat poison to assert control over him.