Man beheads child with kitchen knife

Taiwanese prosecutors indicted a man Monday
for murder over the public decapitation of a four
year old girl, saying they would seek the death
penalty for the "extremely cold-blooded" attack.

Wang Ching-yu, 33, is accused of overpowering
the mother of the child near a metro station in
central Taipei, and beheading the young girl with
a kitchen knife.

The mother and a number of bystanders tried to
intervene but were pushed away and unable to
save the child, who police have identified only by
the surname Liu.

Prosecutors at the Shihlin District Court in Taipei
said that it was an "extremely cold-blooded"
crime which had deeply shocked the generally
peaceful island.

"It has caused indelible pain to her mother, who
witnessed the cruelty," prosecutors said in a
statement at the close of their investigation,
which took less than two months.

"The suspect has never repented... so we suggest
the court sentence him to death," they said,
adding that capital punishment in this instance
was important to maintain society's faith in law
and justice.

Taiwan resumed capital punishment in 2010
after a five-year hiatus. Executions are reserved
for serious crimes such as aggravated murder.

Some politicians and rights groups have called
for its abolition, but various opinion surveys
show majority support for the death penalty.

After the March 28 decapitation, hundreds of
Taiwanese, many dressed in black and wearing
stickers reading "Death penalty is necessary,"
called for Wang to be executed.

Wang was arrested at the scene of the crime and
was subsequently taken into custody.

Prosecutors say that blood test show Wang was
not under the influence of drugs at the time of
the crime, nor had he displayed any signs of
mental illness after the attack.

Police said the 33-year-old had previously been
arrested for drug-related crimes. He was
attacked by an angry mob while in custody.

Taiwan's Apple Daily has reported that he was
unemployed and living with his parents, and had
previously been hospitalised with mental health
issues.

The killing came less than a year after the throat
of an eight-year-old girl was slit in her school
restroom in Taipei. It sparked widespread public
anger and fresh debate about capital punishment.