3 young men sentenced to over 17 years in prison for beating a man who teased his wife until he was paralyzed

On June 7, the People's Court of Con Cuong district tried the case of "Intentionally causing injury" against 3 defendants: Luong Dinh Hoi (born 1983), Vi Van Hoang (born 1986), Vi Dinh Du (born 1992), all residing in Nua village, Yen Khe commune, Con Cuong district.

According to the indictment, at around 9:00 p.m. on November 6, 2017, the three subjects Hoi, Hoang and Du were drinking alcohol in the house. Hoi recounted the incident on the evening of November 5, 2017, when Hoi was away, Mr. Lo Hong Thang, a fellow villager, came to the house, knocked on the door, teased and harassed Hoi's wife, so Hoi felt resentful and angry and met Mr. Thang to curse.

Three defendants at trial. Photo: Tran Le

Before that, Mr. Thang had also said many bad words that caused conflicts with Vi Dinh Du's family. Because they wanted to defend their cousin, Vi Van Hoang and Vi Dinh Du discussed finding Mr. Thang to beat him up.

After drinking, all three went to find Mr. Thang. Seeing Mr. Thang drinking in the neighbor's house, waiting for Mr. Thang to go down the stairs to the porch, Hoang immediately rushed forward, grabbed Mr. Thang by the neck and dragged him into the middle of the yard. Hoang and Du beat him continuously, punching him in the face and kicking him in the stomach, chest and thighs.

Defendant Luong Dinh Hoi ran home and got a heat-resistant hard plastic pipe to hit Mr. Thang twice in the head and chest, causing him to fall down. The three suspects continued to take turns kicking Mr. Thang in the shoulder, face, and right eye, causing his mouth to bleed, his right eye to swell, and he passed out.

Neighbors ran out to stop him and took Mr. Thang home. On November 7, 2017, Mr. Thang woke up with trembling limbs, unable to stand, and severely injured areas such as his head, ears, eyes, ribs, and abdomen.

At 6 p.m. the same day, Mr. Thang was unconscious and had to be taken to the provincial hospital for emergency treatment, brain surgery, skull bone grafting, and a fracture of the mid-axillary line of the 6th rib on the right side. Currently, Mr. Thang is paralyzed on the right side of his body and has reduced vision. According to the results of the injury assessment, Mr. Thang's health was damaged by 79%.

At the trial, the three defendants Hoi, Hoang, and Du confessed to the crime of "Intentionally causing injury to Mr. Vi Hong Thang."

The jury sentenced: defendant Vi Van Hoang to serve 6 years and 6 months in prison; Vi Dinh Du to serve 5 years and 3 months in prison; Luong Dinh Hoi to serve 5 years and 6 months in prison.

At the same time, the three defendants must comply with the civil liability sentence: compensate Mr. Vi Hong Thang the amount of 111,732,360 VND (one hundred and eleven million, seven hundred and thirty-two thousand three hundred and sixty VND).