Teacher Jailed for Spitting, Throwing Liquid on Colleague's Motorcycle Over Parking Dispute

A teacher in Taiwan has been sentenced to 20 days in jail for a retaliatory act against a colleague, stemming from a parking dispute on school grounds. The teacher, identified by the surname Li, was found guilty of damaging property after spitting and throwing an "unknown foul-smelling viscous liquid," believed to be feces or urine, onto a fellow teacher's motorcycle seat, handlebars, and helmet.

The incident occurred on September 3rd at a junior high school in Miaoli County. Following the discovery of the defiled items, the victim, identified by the surname Wang, incurred costs to replace the motorcycle seat cover and handlebar grip, and purchased a new helmet. Wang then filed a criminal complaint against Li.

During the proceedings, Li admitted to the actions but argued that the motorcycle and helmet were still functionally usable. However, the court rejected this defense. The judge reasoned that while there was no physical destruction of the parts, the act of contaminating a helmet, which is worn close to the body, and a motorcycle with foul-smelling liquid would cause any reasonable person extreme disgust and unwillingness to use them.

The court concluded that Li's actions rendered the items "unusable" through means other than direct physical damage, satisfying the legal definition of criminal damage under Taiwan's penal code. Li was sentenced to 20 days of detention, with the option to pay a fine of NT$1,000 per day, totaling NT$20,000.

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the actions made the items unusable due to disgust