On 16/7, 47-year-old Hau was sentenced to 12 years in prison for murder by the People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City and ordered to pay 80 million VND in compensation to the victim.
Three years prior, he had been sentenced to 7 years for intentional injury by the People's Court of Thu Duc City (now the People's Court of District 2, Ho Chi Minh City). This verdict was later overturned.
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Defendant Duong Tan Hau at the court today. Photo: Hai Duyen |
Defendant Duong Tan Hau at the court today. Photo: Hai Duyen
Hau and 67-year-old Mrs. Chap lived next to each other on Nguyen Xien Street, Long Binh Ward, former Thu Duc City. In 2000, Mrs. Chap divided 2,400 square meters of her land into smaller plots to sell and distribute among her children. For convenient access from Nguyen Xien Street to these plots, she created a private road on her family's land. This road passed alongside Hau's house.
In 2017, Hau asked Mrs. Chap for permission to use this road to access his house and she agreed. Later, Hau began using the road for his pickup truck, parking it behind his house, which Mrs. Chap didn't permit.
On the morning of 15/4/2018, Mrs. Chap's children erected a wooden and wire mesh fence to block Hau's access. Angered, Hau drove his pickup truck from his house at high speed, crashing through the fence and damaging his neighbor's bathroom.
Seeing Mrs. Chap riding her bicycle from Nguyen Xien Street onto the private road, Hau accelerated and hit her directly, causing her to suffer five broken ribs and a 67% disability rating.
After receiving a 7-year sentence for intentional injury from the People's Court of Thu Duc City, Hau appealed for a reduced sentence.
In early 2023, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court of Appeals determined that Hau's actions "met the criteria for a more serious crime," overturned the original verdict, and returned the case for further investigation. The Ho Chi Minh City Police Department subsequently took over the case.
The investigation concluded that Hau's actions constituted murder.
Hai Duyen
