TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Supreme Court has upheld a 10-year and six-month prison sentence for a Thai national convicted of fatally stabbing another Thai worker in Miaoli County, CNA reported Tuesday.
According to court documents, both the defendant Abi and the victim Wacheng, whose names are transliterated from Thai, were employed by the same company and lived in shared dormitories. On the evening of Dec. 8, 2023, a confrontation arose when Abi was speaking on the phone in his room and Wacheng, reportedly under the influence of alcohol, complained about the noise.
Abi attacked Wacheng with a fruit knife as the altercation escalated, inflicting multiple stab wounds to the head, chest, abdomen, and waist. Wacheng died from his injuries, and Abi later turned himself into the police.
In the first trial, the Miaoli District Court determined that Abi had acted with direct intent to kill. However, the court also acknowledged several mitigating factors.
Abi voluntarily surrendered, expressed remorse, had no prior criminal record in Taiwan, and stated his willingness to compensate the victim’s family. Although the compensation had not yet been completed at that time, the court sentenced him to nine years and 10 months in prison for homicide, followed by deportation upon completion of the sentence.
Under Article 271 of Taiwan’s Criminal Code, anyone who kills another person can be sentenced to death, life in prison, or at least 10 years in prison. Article 26 allows for a lighter sentence if the person turns themselves in before the crime is discovered, as long as certain conditions are met.
The ruling was appealed to the Taiwan High Court. During the second trial, the court noted that Abi had since arranged for his family in Thailand to reach a financial settlement with the victim’s relatives. However, the court deemed the initial sentence too lenient given the severity of the crime and how it was carried out.
The High Court increased the sentence to 10 years and six months, with deportation to follow.
Abi appealed the revised sentence to the Supreme Court, which rejected the appeal and upheld the High Court’s decision. The ruling is now final.
