Lee Shih-ke | |
|---|---|
李師科 | |
| Born | March 5, 1927 |
| Died | May 26, 1982 (aged 55) |
| Cause of death | Execution by shooting |
| Monuments | Golden statue at Wutienchan Shrine |
| Nationality | Republic of China |
| Occupation | Taxi driver |
| Known for | Taiwan's first gunpoint bank heist in April 1982 |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Motive | Money; anger at “nouveau riche” |
| Criminal charge | Murder; armed robbery |
| Penalty | Death |
Reward amount | NT$2 million |
| Details | |
| Victims | Li Shengyuan |
| Injured | 1 |
| Weapons | Improvised firearm (murder) .38 revolver (robbery) |
Lee Shih-ke (Chinese: 李師科; March 5, 1927 – May 26, 1982) was a Chinese-born murderer and armed robber who perpetrated Taiwan's first gunpoint bank heist. An army veteran and taxi driver, he murdered a police officer in January 1980 with the intention of using the officer's gun to rob a bank. He carried out the robbery on April 14, 1982, and was captured and executed within six weeks. However, before his capture, the police had wrongly arrested another man and produced a false confession using torture; the suspect committed suicide whilst in police custody. Lee gained a reputation as "Taiwan’s Robin Hood" due to his anger at the “nouveau riche” class and a golden statue was erected in his honor in New Taipei City, whilst legal reforms were introduced to prevent false confessions and police torture.