A 51-year-old man in Taoyuan has been charged with trying to kill his own mother, in a case severe enough to be sent to Taiwan's citizen-judge court.

• The man attacked his sleeping mother with a kitchen cleaver early one morning in March, striking her in the head.
• She fought him off barehanded, grabbed the cleaver and fled downstairs, but he chased her with a fruit knife and cut her hands badly.
• Covered in blood, she ran to a neighbour's house for help; the neighbour called police, who arrested him on the spot and seized both knives.
• Prosecutors say he suspected his mother of stealing money from him, and have charged him with attempted murder of a direct relative plus domestic violence.

Outlook: The case goes to trial before a panel of citizen judges, which in Taiwan is reserved for the most serious crimes and points to a heavy sentence if he is convicted.