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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Crime & Justice

Man jailed for gym threat involving historical cannon reference

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • A man in Tainan, Taiwan, was sentenced to seven days in jail for threatening another man at a gym.
  • The accused initially claimed he would use a cannon from a historical site to attack the victim, later changing his story to a joke.
  • The court found the man guilty of intimidation but reduced his sentence due to his apology and the victim's forgiveness.

A dispute at a Tainan gym escalated to threats of violence, resulting in a seven-day jail sentence for one man. The incident began when Liu, while exercising, got into a heated argument with another gym-goer, Zhong. In a fit of anger, Liu threatened to shoot Zhong.

During the police investigation, Liu initially admitted to saying "If I had a gun, I'd shoot you." However, he later changed his statement, claiming he had actually said, "I can drag out the cannon from Yizaicheng to hit you." Liu insisted this was a joke, as he believed the historical cannon could not be moved. Zhong, however, maintained that he felt threatened.

I can drag out the cannon from Yizaicheng to hit you.

— LiuThe accused's defense during the police investigation, claiming his threat was a joke.

The court found Liu guilty of intimidation, noting that he resorted to threats of harm instead of rational dispute resolution. This caused Zhong fear and psychological distress. Despite the conviction, the judge considered Liu's apology in court and Zhong's willingness to forgive him. Liu's remorse and the victim's forgiveness led to a reduced sentence of seven days imprisonment, with an option to pay a fine equivalent to $1,000 per day. The case can still be appealed.

If I had a gun, I'd shoot you.

— LiuLiu's initial admission to police about what he said during the gym argument.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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