SHO-CKING BETRAYAL: Aussie Student Nearly Di-es After Ex-Lover Allegedly Poi-sons Him With Rat Poison Over Fear He’d Leave
A woman who poisoned her Australian ex-lover with rat poison while he lay dying in a Taiwanese hospital has been jailed for attempted murder.
Alex Shorey was just 23 years old when he was rushed to a Taiwanese hospital with horrific symptoms including stomach aches, diarrhoea, nosebleeds and blood in his urine.
It was later discovered he had been poisoned with superwarfarin, a type of rodenticide, on at least three occasions over several months in 2023 by his ex-lover Yan Chin-ping.
Yang was charged with attempted murder in December 2024.
The parents of Alex Shorey went to Taiwan to help their son who suddenly became gravely ill after being poisoned. Picture: Supplied
The Taipei District Court found the woman, now in her 40s, guilty on Wednesday of his attempted murder, Taiwanese local media reported.
The Queensland student, originally from Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, was completing a one-year program at the Tamkang University in Taipei when he was connected to Yang.
The court was told Yang first poisoned Mr Shorey’s grape juice in 2023 when she learnt he planned to return home to Australia alone and did not want to continue their relationship.
She poisoned him again while he was admitted to hospital and after Mr Shorey’s father, Stephen, came to Taiwan with the intention of bringing his son home for treatment.
Prosecutors submitted Yang tricked Mr Shorey’s father into signing a form refusing admission to the intensive care unit and insisted she translate for the family at the hospital rather than medical staff speaking directly to them in English.
Mr Shorey’s father nevertheless pushed for his son to remain in intensive care until a medical evacuation to Australia was organised.
The court was told Yang poisoned Alex him a third time while he was hospitalised by mixing rat poison into his blood medication.
Mr Shorey was studying a year-long Chinese language program in Taiwan when he was poisoned.
By this time Alex was in critical condition.
Prosecutors said Alex’s mum discovered an empty bottle of rat poison while going through her son’s belongings, alerting suspicion.
Following Yang’s arrest in 2024, Taipei District Prosecutors Office released a statement.
“Although Alex fortunately did not die, the suffering he endured in Taiwan was immense,” the office stated.
“He was at constant risk of massive bleeding from various parts of his body and could have died at any moment.
“The defendant’s actions, methods and post-crime attitude were extremely malicious and there were no mitigating factors to show compassion.”
He arrived back in Australia on a medical extraction flight from Taipei. Picture: David Clark.
Alex and his parents returned to Taiwan to testify at Yang’s trial in March.
At trial, Yang denied the charge against her, claiming the rat poison was intended for herself, as she was struggling with the death of her late husband.
The court determined Yang was intent on keeping Alex in Taiwan, ruling she continued poisoning him despite witnessing his suffering.
The court said the crime was carefully and maliciously planned, adding that Yang showed no remorse for the crime.
She was sentenced to 11 years and two months for the offence but will be able to appeal the sentence.
A GoFundMe raised more than $200,000. Picture: David Clark
A GoFundMe raised more than $200,000 to evacuate Alex back to Australia in 2023 after his case garnered wide public attention.
At the time, Alex’s parents thanked the community for their continued support.
“It’s been just under three months since Alex arrived back in Australia, and since that time our focus has been on his health and recovery from the traumatic situation that unfolded in Taiwan,” they wrote in July 2023.
“We’d like to express our immense gratitude again to all those who shared Alex’s story, to those who generously donated to get him home, and to all those who sent good wishes, love and support to our family.
“It is thanks to you that we were able to get Alex home safely.
“The kindness shown to us, and all the messages left on this page for Alex, helped more than you can imagine. We feel so blessed to have Alex home.”
The family advised any additional funds raised were donated to the medical team who brought their son home.
