An American man fatally stabbed himself with a pair of
scissors in a Taiwan courtroom Thursday during his sentencing on drug
possession charges, raising questions over security failings.
The man, named as 41-year-old Tyrel Martin Marhanka, is
thought to have hidden the dismantled scissors inside a magazine to get past a
metal detecting door, Changhua district court said.
The court vowed to beef up its security control by adding
two X-ray scanners when it moves to a new building.
There is not enough room for the scanners at its current
facility, it said.
When the judge handed down a four-year prison sentence for
smuggling poppy and marijuana seeds and for growing marijuana, Marhanka stabbed
himself in the neck before bailiffs could stop him.
He was rushed to a hospital but emergency treatment failed
to revive him.
"We deeply regret that Tyrel Martin Marhanka killed
himself during the sentencing," the court said in a statement.
"He was cooperative during the investigation and the
trial. His attitude was mild and he did not show any signs that he would commit
suicide."
Marhanka was married to a Taiwanese woman with two children
and had been living on the island for many years, according to the court.
-AP
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