A Miaoli district court has convicted a man of criminal intimidation after he bombarded his former girlfriend with calls and messages and threatened to take people down with him — a win for the woman, who reported him to police.

• Upset over the breakup, the man called her phone and her workplace over and over across several days last March and kept messaging her on LINE.
• During calls he said he no longer wanted to live, wanted to "drag someone down with him," and asked who would disappear first.
• Frightened, she went to police and filed stalking and intimidation complaints.
• The court said he should have handled his emotional problems calmly instead of turning to stalking and threats, showing poor self-control.
• He confessed, had no prior record, and reached a settlement with her, though he has not yet paid the compensation — the judge gave him 40 days' detention, convertible to a fine.

Outlook: The sentence can be swapped for a fine, so the main open question is whether he actually pays the agreed compensation.