What a man did after he was sentenced to 5 years in prison over drug charges will leave you in a sorrow and tearful mood.
People were left shocked after an American man used a scissor blade to slash his throat and die inside a courtroom in Taiwan after being given a four-year sentence on drugs charges, prompting moves to increase security.
The man identified as Tyrel Martin Marhanka, 41, was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead Thursday, according to a statement from the Changhua District Court.
According to an AFP report, Marhanka had been indicted in March for growing opium and marijuana at a rented site in Changhua county in central Taiwan, said the official Taiwanese Central News Agency.
When he was arrested, Marhanka told investigators he was growing the plants purely for his own consumption. The American who has lived in Taiwan with his Taiwanese wife for more than 15 years was an English teacher.
On how he died, the court said the man had apparently taken scissor blades hidden in a magazine into the courtroom which the metal detecting gate failed to notice. The police later recovered the blades and the magazine after the man's death.
The court expressed regrets over Marhanka's death and said it had installed two X-ray scanners to strengthen the security check.