After 5 days of deliberation, on 21/7, the An Giang Provincial People's Court sentenced Giap (41 years old, residing in Rach Gia ward) to life imprisonment for murder, under Article 123 of the penal code.

The court also ordered the defendant to pay over 300 million VND in compensation and provide child support for the victim's 6-year-old child until they reach the age of 18.

Pham The Giap at the trial. Photo: Lan Vy

Pham The Giap at the trial. Photo: Lan Vy

According to the case file, Giap, a physical education teacher at Nguyen Du Secondary School in Rach Gia ward, An Giang province (formerly Kien Giang), frequently clashed with his colleagues and was consequently isolated. He believed he was being ostracized and hated by the collective.

On the morning of 6/9/2022, Giap left the teacher's room and bumped into a fellow teacher, leading to a scuffle that was broken up by others. The school administration called both individuals in for a meeting. Following this incident, Giap suspected that a 43-year-old teacher (a close friend of the teacher involved in the scuffle) would hire someone to retaliate against him.

The next morning, Giap brought a knife to school. Upon seeing the teacher he suspected, along with another teacher, having breakfast and laughing at the canteen, Giap assumed they were mocking him. Enraged, he attacked the 43-year-old teacher, stabbing him 10 times, resulting in his death at the scene.

After the attack, Giap disposed of the knife and turned himself in to the ward police. On 8/9/2022, Giap was prosecuted and detained.

A psychiatric assessment revealed that Giap suffered from paranoid personality disorder (Paranoid F60.0 - ICD10) before, during, and after the incident. While his cognitive and behavioral control abilities were impaired, he did not require mandatory treatment. Legal proceedings continued as normal.