TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An Italian man who tried to rob a Hi-Life convenience store in New Taipei City with a pair of scissors will be deported after he serves two years in prison, the Supreme Court decided Thursday (July 8).
The unemployed man in his 30s entered the shop in Tucheng District last August wearing a gold-colored motorcycle helmet and a black rain poncho. He suddenly pulled out a pair of scissors and pressed them against the female clerk’s throat while demanding she give him the money in the cash register.
However, a male shop assistant rushed him, disarming him and chasing him out of the store. Using surveillance camera footage, police tracked him down to a hotel in Banqiao District where he was staying with his Taiwanese ex-wife and arrested him two days later.
The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected his appeal against a two-year prison sentence already issued by the New Taipei District Court and confirmed by the Taiwan High Court, with no further appeals possible, CNA reported.
During his appeal to the High Court, the Italian had argued that he should not be expelled from Taiwan because he had no friends in his home country and that his ex-wife had promised him help on the island.
However, the courts did not accept his argument, saying he had failed to respect Taiwanese laws and attempted to commit a robbery. Therefore, he had posed a serious threat to social order and was no longer fit to remain in the country, the Supreme Court ruled, agreeing with the High Court verdict.