Kaohsiung Man, Repeat Drunk Driver, Kills Motorcyclist and Flees; Second Instance Upholds 14-Year Sentence
A repeat drunk driver in Kaohsiung, Yang, who killed a motorcyclist and fled the scene, had his 14-year sentence upheld by the Kaohsiung Branch of the Taiwan High Court in the second instance. The prosecution''s appeal for a harsher sentence was rejected, as the court found no abuse of discretion in the citizen judge panel''s original ruling, which considered Yang''s background and post-incident treatment efforts.
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- 📰 Published: May 6, 2026 at 14:13
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(Central News Agency Reporter Hung Hsueh-kuang, Kaohsiung, 6th) A man surnamed Yang, with a history of drunk driving, repeatedly drove under the influence, ran a red light, hit and killed a motorcyclist surnamed Su, and then fled the scene. The first instance by a citizen judge panel at Qiaotou District Court sentenced him to 14 years. The prosecution appealed, arguing the sentence was too light. The Kaohsiung Branch of the Taiwan High Court found no abuse of discretion in the original ruling and upheld the original sentence, rejecting the appeal. The case can still be appealed.
The first instance at Qiaotou District Court was heard by a citizen judge panel. They considered that Yang admitted his crime, did not destroy evidence (such as removing license plates), and based on a sentencing evaluation report, recognized that Yang''s childhood background contributed to alcohol addiction. Furthermore, he had sought alcohol addiction treatment at a hospital after the incident. He was sentenced to a combined 14 years in prison for causing death by unsafe driving of a motorized vehicle and hit-and-run causing death.
However, the Qiaotou District Prosecutors Office believed the sentencing evaluation report might be biased as it relied solely on the defendant''s statements, and Yang only sought alcohol treatment nearly two years after the incident, raising doubts about his motivation. Additionally, the prosecution argued that Yang fled on foot for 744 meters after the accident, indicating a firm intent to escape, and that a 14-year sentence was too light to achieve deterrence, thus filing an appeal.
After review, the Kaohsiung Branch of the Taiwan High Court determined that the sentencing evaluation report was a comprehensive assessment by a multidisciplinary team including psychiatrists and social workers, based on objective data, and did not violate principles of experience and reasoning. Furthermore, the findings regarding Yang''s alcohol treatment and the distance he fled were within the legitimate scope of evaluation by the citizen judge panel, with no abuse of discretion. Therefore, the original sentencing was deemed appropriate, and the prosecution''s appeal was rejected. The case can still be appealed.
The judgment pointed out that Yang had been sentenced to 2 months in prison and fined NT0,000 by the Taichung District Court in 2018 for drunk driving. However, around 9 PM on August 29, 2023, he drank Kaoliang liquor and beer at home, then drove out around 11 PM the same night. While passing through the intersection of Jiashu Road and Baishu Road in Qiaotou District, Kaohsiung City, he ran a red light at 94.5 km/h, hitting motorcyclist Su, causing Su to fall and lose consciousness.
Unexpectedly, after causing the major accident, Yang did not get out to check on Su''s injuries or call the police, but instead fled the scene directly. It wasn''t until police patrol passed by and notified an ambulance to take Su to the hospital for emergency treatment that he was declared dead after resuscitation efforts failed. Police later tracked Yang to a convenience store about 744 meters from the accident scene, where they found shattered glass on his clothes and a blood alcohol concentration of 0.6 mg/L. He was then sent for prosecution on charges including public endangerment. (Editor: Chang Ya-ching) 1150506
The first instance at Qiaotou District Court was heard by a citizen judge panel. They considered that Yang admitted his crime, did not destroy evidence (such as removing license plates), and based on a sentencing evaluation report, recognized that Yang''s childhood background contributed to alcohol addiction. Furthermore, he had sought alcohol addiction treatment at a hospital after the incident. He was sentenced to a combined 14 years in prison for causing death by unsafe driving of a motorized vehicle and hit-and-run causing death.
However, the Qiaotou District Prosecutors Office believed the sentencing evaluation report might be biased as it relied solely on the defendant''s statements, and Yang only sought alcohol treatment nearly two years after the incident, raising doubts about his motivation. Additionally, the prosecution argued that Yang fled on foot for 744 meters after the accident, indicating a firm intent to escape, and that a 14-year sentence was too light to achieve deterrence, thus filing an appeal.
After review, the Kaohsiung Branch of the Taiwan High Court determined that the sentencing evaluation report was a comprehensive assessment by a multidisciplinary team including psychiatrists and social workers, based on objective data, and did not violate principles of experience and reasoning. Furthermore, the findings regarding Yang''s alcohol treatment and the distance he fled were within the legitimate scope of evaluation by the citizen judge panel, with no abuse of discretion. Therefore, the original sentencing was deemed appropriate, and the prosecution''s appeal was rejected. The case can still be appealed.
The judgment pointed out that Yang had been sentenced to 2 months in prison and fined NT0,000 by the Taichung District Court in 2018 for drunk driving. However, around 9 PM on August 29, 2023, he drank Kaoliang liquor and beer at home, then drove out around 11 PM the same night. While passing through the intersection of Jiashu Road and Baishu Road in Qiaotou District, Kaohsiung City, he ran a red light at 94.5 km/h, hitting motorcyclist Su, causing Su to fall and lose consciousness.
Unexpectedly, after causing the major accident, Yang did not get out to check on Su''s injuries or call the police, but instead fled the scene directly. It wasn''t until police patrol passed by and notified an ambulance to take Su to the hospital for emergency treatment that he was declared dead after resuscitation efforts failed. Police later tracked Yang to a convenience store about 744 meters from the accident scene, where they found shattered glass on his clothes and a blood alcohol concentration of 0.6 mg/L. He was then sent for prosecution on charges including public endangerment. (Editor: Chang Ya-ching) 1150506