Man uses hammer to hit neighbor on the head over the noise of motorbike engine.

On September 18th, the Nghe An Provincial People's Court held an appeal hearing for defendant Nguyen Dac Nhat (born in 1989), residing in Vinh Tan ward, Vinh City, on the charge of "Intentional infliction of injury".

According to the case file, at approximately 7:20 PM on December 3, 2023, Mr. Nguyen Xuan H. (born in 1956) started his motorbike to go to the community center for a party branch meeting. At that time, Nguyen Dac Nhat was sitting alone drinking alcohol in his house when he heard the motorbike start.

Due to a history of mental illness, Nhat was frustrated and irritable. When he saw Mr. H. driving his motorbike past his house, Nhat grabbed a hammer, ran outside, and blocked his neighbor's vehicle.

Nhat, armed with a hammer, struck Mr. H.'s helmet, causing him to fall to the ground. Nhat then continued to repeatedly strike Mr. H. on his body and head.

Taken by surprise, Mr. H. could only raise his hands to defend himself, but Nhat struck him hard on the hands and face, causing injuries. When Mr. H. loudly begged Nhat to stop, his wife heard him and ran out, shouting for help. Only then did Nhat stop, run back into the house to hide the hammer, and leave.

Mr. H. was taken to the Nghe An Provincial Friendship General Hospital for treatment from December 3rd to 29th, 2023. The victim suffered severe injuries to the top of his head, forehead, and face.

On December 6th, Mr. H. filed a petition requesting the initiation of a criminal case and asking for an assessment of his injury rate. Authorities determined that Mr. H. suffered 60% bodily injury.

Regarding the perpetrator, he surrendered to the police one day after committing the crime. Because the suspect suffers from a mental illness, authorities conducted a psychiatric evaluation. The conclusion was that, before, during, and after committing the crime, Nguyen Dac Nhat suffered from discriminatory disorder, limiting his ability to perceive and control his actions.

The first-instance court sentenced Nguyen Dac Nhat to 6 years and 6 months in prison for "intentionally causing injury". Subsequently, the defendant and his legal representative filed an appeal requesting a reduction in the sentence.

At the appeal hearing, the defendant stated that he was frustrated by the noise of his neighbor's motorbike and therefore used a hammer to attack the neighbor.

The defendant's legal representative stated that, due to Nhat's mental illness, his understanding is somewhat limited, and he sometimes loses control. The representative also presented the defendant's difficult circumstances, noting that he is an orphan, having lost both parents, and requested the court to consider mitigating circumstances to reduce his sentence.

The appellate court ruled that the defendant had limited cognitive abilities and control over his actions, therefore accepting the appeal. The court sentenced defendant Nguyen Dac Nhat to 5 years in prison for the crime of "Intentional infliction of bodily harm".