45 months in prison for the subject protecting the harvester

(Baonghean.vn)- Three young men carrying hockey pucks threatened the harvester owner: "If you want to harvest here, you have to pay 30,000 VND per sao, otherwise we will smash and burn the machine."

» Rampant protection of harvesters

On the morning of October 30, at the People's Committee of Thanh Ngoc commune, Thanh Chuong district, the People's Court of Thanh Chuong district held a mobile trial for the defendants Tran Dinh Hung (born in 1992), residing in Tien Kieu hamlet, Dong Van commune, Thanh Chuong district, Tran Quoc Dat (born in 1995), residing in Ngoc Xuan 1 hamlet, and Nguyen Canh Tu (born in 2000), residing in Ngoc Khanh hamlet, both in Thanh Ngoc commune, Thanh Chuong district, for the crime of extortion of citizens' property.

Thanh Chuong District People's Court holds mobile trial. Photo: Van Ly

At about 2:00 p.m. on September 6, 2017, Tran Quoc Dat and Nguyen Canh Tu drove motorbike with license plate 37N1 - 6144 to the rice field area in Ngoc Minh hamlet, Thanh Ngoc commune, Thanh Chuong district, to work on a combine harvester for Mr. Nguyen Anh residing in Ngoc Dinh hamlet, Thanh Ngoc commune.

Upon arriving, seeing the combine harvester rented by Mr. Nguyen Huu Hung, residing in Minh Nhuan hamlet, Thanh Ngoc commune to harvest rice for local people, Nguyen Quoc Dat asked Mr. Nguyen Huu Hung to stop the harvester.

At the same time, Nguyen Canh Tu took out a three-section stick from the trunk of the car that Tran Quoc Dat and Nguyen Canh Tu used and went to Tran Quoc Dat. Tran Quoc Dat told Mr. Nguyen Huu Hung: "If you want to harvest here, you have to pay 30,000 VND per sao, otherwise the machine will be smashed and burned." Because of fear, Mr. Nguyen Huu Hung agreed.

Then, Tran Quoc Dat called Tran Dinh Hung and said: "You stay here and manage the machine, count the poles in the afternoon to get money."

At around 6 p.m. the same day, Tran Dinh Hung saw that Mr. Nguyen Huu Hung's harvester had stopped harvesting, so he approached and said to Mr. Nguyen Huu Hung: "Who is keeping the book?" Mr. Nguyen Huu Hung replied: "I harvested one acre of rice." Hearing that, Tran Dinh Hung asked Mr. Nguyen Huu Hung to give him 400,000 VND.

When Tran Dinh Hung put the money in his pocket, he was caught red-handed by Thanh Chuong District Police and all evidence was confiscated.

On the same day, Tran Quoc Dat and Nguyen Canh Tu were urgently arrested by Thanh Chuong District Police for their crimes.

Thanh Chuong District People's Court sentenced defendant Tran Quoc Dat to 18 months in prison, Tran Dinh Hung to 15 months in prison, Nguyen Canh Tu to 12 months in prison, suspended, and 24 months probation.

Van Ly