The cowardly revenge of a 'deeply in love' husband on his wife.

A marriage of hell

Nearly a year has passed since the incident, but Ms. Nguyen Thi L (47 years old, residing in Nhan Son commune, Do Luong district) is still haunted whenever she recalls it. Although her health has now stabilized, she still shudders when she thinks back to the time she waited for the test results.

Nguyen Ba Ba devised a plan to inject his ex-wife with HIV-infected blood as revenge. (Photo: archival material)

Ms. Nguyen Thi L. and Mr. Nguyen Ba Ba (48 years old, residing in Nhan Son commune, Do Luong district, Nghe An province) lived in the same neighborhood and grew up together. Because they understood each other's personalities, they gradually developed feelings for each other. After getting to know each other, Ms. L. and Mr. Ba decided to get married.

After being married for some time, the couple decided to move to the South to start a new life. Their marriage, which began with love, didn't last long, as the husband gradually revealed his abusive nature, especially since Ms. L. remained infertile and unable to have children.

The couple went for a medical check-up, and the cause was identified as Ba's. Perhaps it was precisely because of his feelings of guilt and helplessness that he became even more irritable and quick-tempered towards his wife. There was a time when Ba beat his wife "almost to death," forcing her to rent a place to live elsewhere, but Ba tracked her down and forced her to return.

"There were times when Dad beat his wife so badly she had to be hospitalized. L. was so scared that she left and rented a room to live in, but Dad tracked her down and threatened her, forcing her to come back. Many times, the family advised her to leave him, but for some reason, L. kept hesitating," her sister-in-law recounted.

Two years ago, unable to bear the physical and mental torment inflicted by her husband, Ms. L. returned to her hometown and sought refuge with her brother. After some time, Nguyen Ba Ba also returned, going to his brother-in-law's house to cause trouble and force his wife to return. But this time, Ms. L. was determined to end this hellish marriage.

Ms. L.'s divorce petition was accepted by the court despite her husband's disagreement. Ba repeatedly went to his brother-in-law's house to verbally abuse, threaten, and beg his wife to reconcile, but to no avail.

Early in the morning of March 17, 2022, Ms. L. left her house without knowing that her ex-husband was secretly following her. Suddenly, the sound of a motorbike engine revving up and closing in on her vehicle caused Ms. L. a sharp pain in her buttocks. Trying not to fall off her motorbike, she turned around and was horrified to recognize her ex-husband, Nguyen Ba Ba, although he was quite well disguised. In his hand was a syringe...

Haunted by the previous threats, Ms. L. suppressed her pain and sped away. Reaching a crowded area, she pulled over, cried for help, and then fainted.

The needle prick wasn't too serious, but the shock caused her psychological trauma, leaving her unconscious for more than a day and a night before she regained consciousness.

Ms. Dung, the victim's sister-in-law, recounted: "The wound was only in the soft tissue, not too serious, but we were afraid there might have been something in Ba's syringe. After asking a close relative to inquire, we were shocked to hear that the syringe contained blood from someone infected with HIV..."

Revenge stemming from… deep feelings.

Immediately, Ms. L. was transferred to a central hospital to receive post-exposure prophylaxis medication. The three months she waited for the results were also three months of anxiety and confusion. The hellish marriage she had just managed to escape now haunted her every night like a ghost.

Nguyen Ba Ba confessed that he only wanted to "rekindle the old flame" with his ex-wife, but was unsuccessful. He also heard rumors that Ms. L. had a new lover, which made him resentful and led him to plot revenge. He devised a plan to introduce HIV into his ex-wife, believing that death would be worse than death...

Defendant Nguyen Ba Ba at the trial. Photo: Truong Thi Duyen

Ba Ba approached an acquaintance who was undergoing HIV treatment. Ba fabricated a story about knowing a person from an ethnic minority group living in Ho Chi Minh City who could cure the disease. However, a blood test was necessary to determine the specific possibility of a complete cure and the treatment duration. Because of this acquaintance, Ba offered to help the man receive blood from the patient instead of going to the hospital to collect it, saving him the travel and accommodation costs. Ba even arranged for the man to collect the blood early the next morning so it could be sent in time. Believing him, the man was grateful and readily agreed, thinking there was still a chance of being cured, promising to collect the blood early the next morning and bring it to Ba.

The next morning, with the vial containing HIV-infected blood in hand, Nguyen Ba Ba injected it into a syringe, changed his shirt, put on a mask, removed the mirrors and license plate from his car to carry out his plan. He thought that with such careful disguise, "no one would know, no ghosts or demons would notice." However, the trauma of 20 years of domestic violence meant that Ms. L. could recognize her ex-husband with just a glance into his eyes.

After driving close to his ex-wife and injecting the syringe into her buttocks, Ba chased after her, intending to inject all the HIV-infected blood into her, but she ran away, shouting for help. Fearing exposure, he turned his car around and fled. However, the investigating authorities had little difficulty identifying the man's criminal act. Nguyen Ba Ba surrendered the following day.

Although the medical assessment determined that Ms. L. only suffered 8% disability due to the injuries, Ba's actions constituted the crime of "Intentionally transmitting HIV to another person."

The trial of Nguyen Ba Ba took place on September 28, 2022. Ms. Nguyen Thi L. was not present at the trial but authorized someone else to represent her legally.

Before the trial, Ms. L. submitted a petition for leniency for Ba. Although she nearly contracted a terminal illness from her husband's vicious revenge, he was still her husband, and even though their relationship was over, there was still some affection left...

At the trial, Nguyen Ba Ba confessed honestly to his crime. The defendant also stated that he was too attached to his ex-wife, so when he heard rumors that Ms. L. had a new lover, he became consumed with jealousy and couldn't control his emotions.

Considering the defendant's criminal conduct, the panel of judges sentenced Nguyen Ba Ba to 38 months of imprisonment for the crime of intentional wrongdoing.HIV transmissionFor the other party, they are obligated to compensate the victim for emotional and health damages amounting to 13 million VND.