In Kaohsiung, Taiwan, a father with multiple prior convictions for drunk driving caused the death of his daughter after driving while intoxicated, and has been sentenced by a citizen judge panel to 10 years and 8 months in prison — the heaviest sentence handed down in a fatal drunk-driving case.

• Knowing that he had to pick up his daughter from school by motorcycle, a man surnamed Chen nonetheless drank six bottles of beer at home, registering a blood-alcohol level close to that of severe intoxication.
• Because she was not wearing a helmet, his daughter was thrown from the vehicle in a head-on collision and slammed to the ground on the spot; she died despite emergency treatment.
• The father had previously been sentenced and had his licence revoked multiple times for drunk driving, and also had prior convictions as a fraud money mule and for drug dealing, marking a poor record of conduct.
• He wept and begged for forgiveness in court, but his wife stated in court that she actually hated him, and had signed the settlement only because he could not afford to pay compensation.

The judges found that, as a father, he had instead pushed his own flesh and blood into danger, showing grave malice, and that only the reduction for voluntary surrender applied.

Outlook: This verdict sets a record for the heaviest sentence in a fatal drunk-driving case under the citizen judge system, and may become an important reference for similar cases in the future.