Kaohsiung, Taiwan — A Vietnamese migrant worker was sentenced to five years and six months in prison for violently attacking his landlady with a brick and stealing NT$3,000, Kaohsiung District Court confirmed. The suspect, surnamed Ly, was also ordered to be deported upon completion of his sentence.
According to court documents, the incident occurred on the evening of August 28 last year. The landlady, surnamed Hung, went to collect rent from Ly, who claimed he had no money at the time and asked her to return in an hour. When Hung returned at 8:00 p.m., Ly struck her on the head with a brick, causing multiple lacerations on her scalp and body, and stole her purse containing NT$3,000 before fleeing.
A fellow tenant, hearing Hung’s cries for help, called the police. Ly was apprehended approximately two and a half hours later in a nearby park, where authorities also recovered NT$600 in cash from him.
During the trial, Ly admitted to the crime, stating he committed the act because he could not pay rent and owed other debts. He claimed the NT$3,000 he took was insufficient to cover what he owed and expressed willingness to compensate Hung for her losses.
Hung, however, refused to forgive him, expressing anger that despite giving him affordable rent as a migrant worker, she was attacked in return. She insisted that he serve prison time.
Taking into account the severity of the attack and supporting evidence, the court convicted Ly of robbery, sentencing him to five years and six months in prison, with deportation to follow upon completion of his sentence or pardon. The verdict is subject to appeal.