Caught sleeping and snoring in the office - and sent to prison as a result

A community manager in Taichung, Taiwan, was sentenced to three months in prison after being convicted of threatening the life of the chairman of the residents' committee. The conflict began when he was caught sleeping and snoring on the office floor. The appeals court overturned a previous acquittal, ruling that the community manager could have expected the guard to relay the threat even without an explicit request.

A community manager in Taichung, Taiwan, was sentenced to three months in prison after being convicted of threatening the life of the chairman of the residents' committee. The conflict began on November 19, 2023, when the committee chairman arrived at the office following a complaint about snoring sounds and found the community manager sleeping on the floor. After an emergency meeting where an argument broke out, the manager left the meeting. Later, he returned to collect his belongings and told the security guard that he would kill the committee chairman. The guard relayed the statement out of concern for the residents' safety. The district court initially acquitted the manager, arguing that the threat was not made directly to the committee chairman. The prosecution appealed, and the high appeals court accepted its position, ruling that as part of his role, the security guard is expected to report threats, and therefore the manager could have anticipated that the guard would relay the threat. The panel determined that the guard's testimony was credible. The manager will serve three months in prison but may commute the sentence to a fine.