Three former police officers sentenced to prison for illegally arresting 'speed demons'

At 5:30 p.m. on July 5, after a day of trial and deliberation, the Hanoi People's Court sentenced Pham Hai Dang, 28 years old, Pham Trinh Duc Anh and Nguyen Tien Anh (both 26 years old) to 30 months, 24 and 20 months in prison respectively for the crime ofIllegal detention, according to point d, clause 2, Article 157 of the Penal Code.

For the same crime, the remaining 7 accomplices were sentenced to 20 months suspended imprisonment to 2 years in prison.

Defendants Dang (white shirt, second row), Duc Anh (black shirt standing next to him), Tien Anh (front row, left) and accomplices at the trial on July 5.Photo: Danh Lam

The indictment determined that at 1:45 a.m. on March 28, 2020, Dang, Tien Anh and Duc Anh, all officers of the Hanoi Police, and a group of about 10 friends were riding motorbikes on the Lo Duc - Tran Xuan Soan road, Hai Ba Trung district. When they saw about 15 motorbikes running at high speed, weaving and showing signs of racing, Dang's group chased and caught up with a motorbike carrying 3 people, all of whom were not wearing helmets.

Dang stopped the car, took out a three-section stick and hit the driver. They fought back, so he texted the others in the group to come help. Duc Anh arrived, pulled out a pellet gun and shot at the 3 "speed demons" and continued to chase them with the rest of the group when they ran away. When they caught up, the group used handcuffs to control them and took the 3 "speed demons" to Bac Co flower garden, Hoan Kiem district.

Here, Dang used a stick and his hands to beat him. Tien Anh slapped him and used his phone to record, demanding a speeder to take out his belongings so that his group could "check" them. However, they found nothing so Dang's group left.

At 3:30 p.m. the next day, the group of speeders went to the police station to report the incident. Dang, Tien Anh and Duc Anh were all suspended from work and Party activities.

At the trial, the three former police officers admitted to their crimes, but said the incident happened because they discovered the three young men were not wearing helmets and "showed signs of racing". Driven by their profession, the three defendants said they wanted to pursue and deal with them.

The three former police officers said they were aware that arresting and using police support tools to arrest people when they were not assigned to do so was a violation of the law. The defendants asked for leniency so they could continue working and contributing to society.

The three victims present at the trial, aged 19-30, denied racing, only admitting to speeding, carrying too many people and not wearing helmets. "Of course we were wrong, that's why all of us and the defendants are here in court today," said the 30-year-old male victim.

The management units of the three former police officers all said that on the night of the incident, they did not assign tasks, provide weapons, or support tools for the three defendants to carry out their duties in Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi.

After verifying the order in the area at the time of the incident, the police said they did not receive any complaints from the people and local authorities about people gathering to race and causing disorder.