A Taiwanese woman who allegedly poisoned an Australian exchange student and was reportedly investigated following the mysterious death of her husband just months earlier has been charged with attempted murder.
Queensland man Alex Shorey, 25, unknowingly ingested rat poison allegedly put into grape juice by Yang Ping, 46, after he decided to move back home for financial and fatigue reasons.
After drinking the poisoned juice, Mr Shorey suffered diarrhoea, blood in his urine, vomiting, nosebleeds, abdominal pain and blood spots on his skin and tongue.
Ping, who befriended Mr Shorey while he was studying a Chinese literature in Taiwan, faces up to eight years in prison if she is found guilty.
‘Her intent was to mix the poison into Alex’s meals or beverages, which he frequently consumed at his rented residence in Taipei, causing him to become ill and forcing him to remain in Taiwan to receive her care,’ a statement from the Taipei District Prosecutors Office said, as reported by the ABC.
While acting as Mr Shorey’s carer in hospital, Ping allegedly continued to put rat poison in his food which saw his condition worsen, prosecutors said.
When the student’s mother, Julie, flew to Taiwan to be at her son’s side, she stayed at Ping’s apartment and found an empty bottle of rat poison.
After she told doctors about the discovery, Ping was not allowed to give any further medication to Mr Shorey.
A woman who allegedly poisoned Australian exchange student Alex Shorey (pictured left) in Taiwan in March 2023 has been charged with attempted murder
After days of hemorrhaging Mr Shorey went into hypovolemic shock, meaning his organs were at risk of failing due to lack of blood.
A severe allergic reaction to a vitamin K treatment in hospital saw him go into cardiorespiratory collapse six days later.
When she was arrested, Ping allegedly denied even knowing who Mr Shorey was.
Taiwanse authorities allege she befriended the far younger University of Queensland student after her British husband died unexpectedly just four months earlier.
Detectives probing his mysterious death in January 2023 found the British man had died after suffering very similar symptoms to Shorey.
Doctors who treated the man suspected that he may have ingested rat poison.
Despite this, his body was released to Ping without a forensic autopsy being performed, who subsequently had the body cremated.
The new lead reportedly transpired in January this year when the man’s younger brother travelled to Taiwan seeking information after his elder brother moved there after marrying a local woman and quickly lost contact with his family.
After days of hemorrhaging Mr Shorey (pictured in hospital) went into hypovolemic shock, meaning his organs were at risk of failing due to lack of blood
Using what little information the younger brother provided, police discovered the British national had been married to the woman charged over Mr Shorey’s poisoning.
No charges have been laid regarding the British man’s death.
It is not suggested that Ping was in any way responsible for the death of her British husband.
Prosecutors who brought the charge of attempted murder against Ping said she had ‘a desire to satisfy her personal needs for control, jealousy, and revenge’.
‘Although Alex fortunately did not die, the suffering he endured in Taiwan was immense. He was at constant risk of massive bleeding from various parts of his body and could have died at any moment,’ they said.
‘The defendant’s actions, methods and post-crime attitude were extremely malicious and there were no mitigating factors to show compassion.’
Mr Shorey’s family raised more than $200,000 through a GoFundMe campaign to pay for his medical evacuation home to Australia.
Stephen and Julie Shorey, the parents of poisoned Australian student Alex Shorey, are pictured
Doctors at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane confirmed he had ‘very high levels of toxins’ in his body after ingesting superwarfarin – a highly toxic poison that stops blood from clotting.
His father, Stephen, said his son had suffered another anaphylactic reaction shortly before leaving Taiwan.
‘I believe his medical repatriation actually saved his life,’ Mr Shorey said.
He told the ABC his son had since recovered from the poisoning and they were grateful to everyone who helped get him home in 2023.
‘We were blessed,’ he said.
Mr Shorey did not want to comment on the charges against Ping so as not to prejudice any legal proceedings.
