Taichung man jailed for threatening arson over an iPhone and attacking court bailiffs

Aug 24, 2026

A Taichung court has handed down short jail terms to a man who threatened to burn down his in-laws' house over a phone and then brawled naked with court security — a small case, but a reminder of how quickly a family money dispute can escalate.

  • The man phoned his wife and threatened to set fire to her family's home unless her mother bought him an iPhone 16.
  • His wife reported him, and prosecutors asked for him to be held in custody.
  • While waiting at the Taichung court, he stripped, pounded on the door, and fought three bailiffs for ten minutes, injuring two.
  • He admitted everything; the threat charge drew 20 days' detention after his wife withdrew her complaint, and the assault on officers drew three months.

Outlook: The sentence can still be appealed, and the assault term is the heavier one because the court treated it as an attack on state authority.

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