An American man committed suicide by slitting his own throat with a scissor blade inside a courtroom in Taiwan on Thursday after a judge handed him a four-year prison sentence for growing marijuana.

Tyrel Martin Marhanka, 41, said he "didn't want to live anymore" before jabbing a pair of 8-inch scissor blades into his neck, severing several arteries, according to a local newspaper.

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Bleeding profusely, he was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead, according to a statement from the Changhua District Court.

Marhanka, an English teacher by profession, smuggled the weapon inside the courtroom by hiding them inside a magazine he carried with him, which a metal detector at the court failed to detect.

The U.S. citizen was arrested in April 2015 after police recovered more than 200 cannabis plants, 195 dried cannabis plants and 10 opium poppies at his rented house in Changhua's Yongjing Township.

Marhanka was indicted in March on a number of charges including growing marijuana at his home and importing marijuana and opium poppy seeds.

At the time of his arrest, the father-of-two told authorities that he was growing the plants for self-consumption.

In the wake of the incident, Judge Wang Yi-min issued a statement, promising improved security measures such as additional x-ray machines, to be implemented at the court.

"We deeply regret that Tyrel Martin Marhanka killed himself during the sentencing," he said. "He was cooperative during the investigation and the trial. His attitude was mild and he did not show any signs that he would commit suicide."

TagsTyrel Martin Marhanka, Taiwan, Changhua, marijuana, Changhua District Court, Tyrel Marhanka