Terrifying boss! Customer owed money, forced introduced employee to sign promissory note, even wielded watermelon knife to assault person

A motorcycle shop owner in Keelung, Taiwan, has been sentenced to four months in prison for assaulting and coercing a female employee who had introduced a client that subsequently defaulted on a loan. The court found the owner, identified by the surname Lin, guilty of assault.

The incident occurred in September 2023 when a client, introduced by the employee, failed to repay a NT$300,000 loan. The creditor then demanded repayment from Lin, who believed the employee and the creditor had colluded to defraud him. After reporting the employee to the police for alleged theft of motorcycle keys, Lin coerced her into signing an agreement to cover NT$250,000 of the debt, backed by five promissory notes.

Despite the agreement, Lin forcibly entered the employee's rented residence about 90 minutes later, kicking down the door and dragging her back to the shop. There, he allegedly placed a cleaver on the table and forced her to sign the five promissory notes totaling NT$250,000. The employee sought help from her sister, leading to the exposure of the case.

During the trial, Lin denied the accusations, claiming the employee returned items voluntarily and that other customers and his wife were present. However, the court dismissed his defense after reviewing communication records and witness testimonies, finding that the witnesses arrived after the promissory notes were signed. The court ruled that Lin's actions constituted assault and coercion, imposing the prison sentence, which can be commuted to a fine of NT$120,000.