Chairman of Xiushui Township Council in Changhua Sentenced to 4 Years and 6 Months for Beating 3 People

According to the first-instance judgment by the Changhua District Court, on an evening in July 2022, Jiang Xianzhong went to a snack bar for a gathering and had an altercation with three people surnamed Zhou, Hsu, and Pan. Jiang fired two blank shots into the ceiling and called four friends armed with iron pipes and clubs to beat the three individuals. This resulted in Zhou suffering a ruptured left eyeball and retinal detachment, with no possibility of correction.

In the first instance, Jiang Xianzhong was sentenced to 5 years in prison for the crime of joint assault causing severe injury; the other four were sentenced to terms ranging from 4 years and 5 months to 4 years and 6 months.

The case was appealed to the second instance and heard by the Taichung Branch of the Taiwan High Court. The collegial panel took into consideration that Jiang Xianzhong had reached a settlement with the victims during the first-instance trial and fully paid 300,000 NT dollars in compensation. Furthermore, after Jiang and the other four defendants appealed, they also reached an unconditional settlement with the three victims. Considering that all five defendants confessed to all their crimes during the second instance, the court amended Jiang Xianzhong's sentence to 4 years and 6 months in prison, and the other four received sentences ranging from 3 years and 11 months to 4 years.

The entire case was appealed to the third instance. After reviewing the case, the Supreme Court determined that the second-instance judgment contained no errors and the sentencing was appropriate. On the 9th, the appeal was dismissed, finalizing the case. Jiang Xianzhong must be imprisoned, and prosecutors have been notified to activate anti-escape mechanisms. (Editor: Chen Ching-fang) 1150410