Singer Qiu Jun Drunk Drives, Kills Driver and Flees; First Instance Sentences Him to 10 Years
Singer Qiu Jun was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Keelung District Court's National Judge Panel for drunk driving, causing the death of a taxi driver, and fleeing the scene. The court determined that his actions were motivated by self-interest, denying a reduction in sentence.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 29, 2026 at 20:44
- 🔍 Collected: April 29, 2026 at 21:01 (16 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 29, 2026 at 23:03 (2h 2m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Wang Chao-yu, Keelung 29th) In the case where singer Qiu Jun drunk drove and killed a taxi driver, his defense argued for leniency regarding the hit-and-run part due to "compassionate circumstances." However, the Keelung District Court's National Judge Panel found Qiu Jun's hit-and-run and drunk driving to be motivated by self-interest, thus no special leniency could be granted. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison today.
The Keelung District Court issued a press release stating that in the early morning of December 27, 2024, after drinking draft beer and several glasses of millet wine at a restaurant-bar in Keelung City, Qiu Jun intended to rest at his girlfriend's residence. Around 4 AM, while driving on Xin-yi Road, he hit two men, surnamed Li and Chen, who were standing in the lane. After the accident, Qiu Jun did not get out to check but drove off, running a red light. Mr. Li was pronounced dead on January 3 of last year after emergency treatment.
Qiu Jun had previously received a deferred prosecution for drunk driving in 2018. For repeat drunk driving causing death within 10 years, he was sentenced to 8 years in prison. For hit-and-run causing death, he was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison, with an aggregate sentence of 10 years. The case can be appealed.
The defense argued that Qiu Jun confessed to the crime and expressed willingness to compensate, having settled with the injured Mr. Chen. Furthermore, for the hit-and-run, there were "compassionate circumstances" under the Criminal Code, requesting a reduction in sentence. However, the prosecutor believed that Qiu Jun's hit-and-run was merely "selfish," only considering his career, future, and breach of contract compensation, which did not warrant sympathy, and requested a medium-to-heavy sentence, with an aggregate of 12 to 13 years.
The collegiate bench believed that Qiu Jun's hit-and-run and drunk driving were motivated by "self-interest," and the circumstances of the crime were not sufficient to evoke public sympathy. Moreover, the statutory penalty for hit-and-run was not extremely severe, thus no special leniency or reduction in sentence could be granted.
The collegiate bench considered aggravating factors, including that Qiu Jun's drunk driving and hit-and-run were not without choice, and he had a prior record of drunk driving yet failed to learn his lesson. His statement regarding the motive for drunk driving (rescuing a friend) was untrue. After the crime, he attempted to destroy evidence and collude to shift responsibility. During police questioning and initial interrogation, he still prevaricated and denied. He also failed to reach a settlement with the victim's family and had not compensated them, showing indifference to the victim. After the crime, only his parents expressed condolences to the victim's family to discuss compensation, showing no genuine remorse.
Mitigating factors included Qiu Jun's confession of guilt from the middle of the investigation to the court proceedings. The victim was standing in the slow lane, and therefore also bore some negligence for the accident. Qiu Jun also reached a settlement with the injured Mr. Chen and was willing to pay NT$3.5 million to the victim's family in one lump sum, with the remainder in installments, but the victim's family did not accept, so the settlement failed.
Qiu Jun attended the hearing this afternoon to hear the verdict. Facing media cameras, he bowed and apologized to the family. When asked if the 10-year sentence was too heavy, Qiu Jun said no and stated he would try his best to reach a settlement with the victim's family. (Editor: Lung Bo-an) 1150429
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(Central News Agency reporter Wang Chao-yu, Keelung 29th) In the case where singer Qiu Jun drunk drove and killed a taxi driver, his defense argued for leniency regarding the hit-and-run part due to "compassionate circumstances." However, the Keelung District Court's National Judge Panel found Qiu Jun's hit-and-run and drunk driving to be motivated by self-interest, thus no special leniency could be granted. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison today.
The Keelung District Court issued a press release stating that in the early morning of December 27, 2024, after drinking draft beer and several glasses of millet wine at a restaurant-bar in Keelung City, Qiu Jun intended to rest at his girlfriend's residence. Around 4 AM, while driving on Xin-yi Road, he hit two men, surnamed Li and Chen, who were standing in the lane. After the accident, Qiu Jun did not get out to check but drove off, running a red light. Mr. Li was pronounced dead on January 3 of last year after emergency treatment.
Qiu Jun had previously received a deferred prosecution for drunk driving in 2018. For repeat drunk driving causing death within 10 years, he was sentenced to 8 years in prison. For hit-and-run causing death, he was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison, with an aggregate sentence of 10 years. The case can be appealed.
The defense argued that Qiu Jun confessed to the crime and expressed willingness to compensate, having settled with the injured Mr. Chen. Furthermore, for the hit-and-run, there were "compassionate circumstances" under the Criminal Code, requesting a reduction in sentence. However, the prosecutor believed that Qiu Jun's hit-and-run was merely "selfish," only considering his career, future, and breach of contract compensation, which did not warrant sympathy, and requested a medium-to-heavy sentence, with an aggregate of 12 to 13 years.
The collegiate bench believed that Qiu Jun's hit-and-run and drunk driving were motivated by "self-interest," and the circumstances of the crime were not sufficient to evoke public sympathy. Moreover, the statutory penalty for hit-and-run was not extremely severe, thus no special leniency or reduction in sentence could be granted.
The collegiate bench considered aggravating factors, including that Qiu Jun's drunk driving and hit-and-run were not without choice, and he had a prior record of drunk driving yet failed to learn his lesson. His statement regarding the motive for drunk driving (rescuing a friend) was untrue. After the crime, he attempted to destroy evidence and collude to shift responsibility. During police questioning and initial interrogation, he still prevaricated and denied. He also failed to reach a settlement with the victim's family and had not compensated them, showing indifference to the victim. After the crime, only his parents expressed condolences to the victim's family to discuss compensation, showing no genuine remorse.
Mitigating factors included Qiu Jun's confession of guilt from the middle of the investigation to the court proceedings. The victim was standing in the slow lane, and therefore also bore some negligence for the accident. Qiu Jun also reached a settlement with the injured Mr. Chen and was willing to pay NT$3.5 million to the victim's family in one lump sum, with the remainder in installments, but the victim's family did not accept, so the settlement failed.
Qiu Jun attended the hearing this afternoon to hear the verdict. Facing media cameras, he bowed and apologized to the family. When asked if the 10-year sentence was too heavy, Qiu Jun said no and stated he would try his best to reach a settlement with the victim's family. (Editor: Lung Bo-an) 1150429
Choose to stand with the facts, every sponsorship you make is a force for protecting press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-Hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, broadcast, transmitted, or used without authorization.