Alex Shorey was poisoned in Taiwan, with the alleged perpetrator now charged. (Supplied: Shorey Family)
In short:
Taiwanese authorities have charged Yang Ping with attempted murder after Brisbane student Alex Shorey's poisoning in Taiwan last year.
Mr Shorey was allegedly administered rat poison through his food and drinks while in Taiwan for a study program.
What's next?
The woman will face court on one attempted murder charge which carries an eight-year imprisonment penalty.
A woman in Taiwan is facing eight years in jail after being charged with attempted murder for allegedly poisoning Brisbane university student Alex Shorey with rat poison.
The woman, identified as Yang Ping, befriended the then 23-year-old Australian while he was studying a Chinese literature program in Taiwan early last year.
Australian speaks from hospital after poisoning
Photo shows A young man smiles at the camera in a black and white image taken in a busy indoor location.
When Mr Shorey decided to cut short his trip due to financial stress and study fatigue, the woman was allegedly upset and decided to poison him, the Taipei District Prosecutors Office said in a statement.
In March 2023, she mixed rat poison into grape juice and convinced Mr Shorey to drink it, leading to diarrhoea, abdominal pain, vomiting, persistent nosebleeds, blood in urine and blood spots on his skin and tongue, prosecutors allege.
"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," the statement said.
After Mr Shorey was admitted to hospital, Yang Ping, who acted as a caregiver, continued to lace his food with rat poison, prompting his condition to deteriorate further, prosecutors state.
Mr Shorey's mother, Julie, travelled to Taiwan and stayed at Yang Ping's apartment where she discovered an empty bottle of rat poison.
She raised the alarm with doctors, and Yang Ping was barred from administering any more medication to Mr Shorey.
After her arrest, Yang Ping denied any involvement and even claimed to not know who Mr Shorey was.
Prosecutors allege Yang Ping befriended Mr Shorey after her spouse died unexpectedly and was motivated by "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," the Taipei District Prosecutors Office said.
"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."
Mr Shorey's family crowd-sourced more than $200,000 to have him medically evacuated back to Australia.
His father, Stephen Shorey, told the ABC his son had recovered from the poisoning.
He said the family was grateful to everyone who helped bring Alex home in 2023, as the retrieval "saved his life".
"We were blessed," he said.
Mr Shorey added he did not want to comment on the latest developments to prejudice any court case.
Yang Ping is not the full name of the accused.
