“Murder beyond legitimate defense”, bus assistant sentenced to 12 months in prison
(Baonghean) -On the morning of June 17, Nghe An Provincial People's Court sentenced bus assistant Nguyen Thanh Nghia (born in 1980, residing in Khanh Thanh commune, Tan Khanh, Ninh Binh) to 12 months in prison for "murder beyond legitimate defense".
According to the indictment of the People's Procuracy of Nghe An province, on the morning of March 1, 2010, the passenger bus with license plate 30P-8539, with Nghia as the assistant driver, was traveling from Ninh Binh to Ho Chi Minh City. When passing through Quynh Luu district, the bus picked up two more passengers, Ms. Le Thi Nga (born in 1987) and her younger brother Le Van Viet (born in 1989).
After a lunch break in Hong Linh town (Ha Tinh), Nghia's car did not continue its journey but instead headed back to the North after "selling" all 17 passengers on board to another car.
Defendant Nguyen Thanh Nghia at the trial.
Angry at being “sold” in the middle of the road, having to pay more but not having a seat, Ms. Nga called the traffic police and her father, Mr. Le Hung Cuong (born in 1963, residing in Hamlet 4, Quynh Giang Commune, Quynh Luu District, Nghe An) to report the bus company’s violation. After receiving his son’s call, Mr. Cuong and some relatives went to National Highway 1A, the section passing through Quynh Giang Commune, to catch bus 30P-8539 (going north) to demand their money back from the bus company.
When asking the car to stop, Mr. Cuong, Mr. Chu Van Hoang (Mr. Cuong's brother-in-law), Mr. Nguyen Van Thin and Mr. Le Van Huu (Mr. Cuong's nephew, all living in Quynh Giang commune) jumped into the car. Mr. Thin grabbed Nghia's collar and pulled him down, but Nghia kicked him to the ground. Of the remaining three, only Mr. Hoang jumped into the ground himself and was unharmed. Mr. Huu and Mr. Cuong also fell onto the ground while the car was moving. Of these, Mr. Cuong fell last and died from a fractured skull.
At the trial, the representative of the People's Procuracy of Nghe An province requested the Trial Council to sentence Nguyen Thanh Nghia to 6 to 9 months in prison, with a suspended sentence, for the crime of "murder beyond legitimate defense". This request of the Procuracy was strongly opposed by the victim's family because they believed that the cause of Mr. Cuong's death was due to Nghia's beating and beating before Nghia kicked him onto the street.
However, based on the defendant’s testimony and the evidence collected by the investigation agency, this morning the People’s Court of Nghe An province sentenced Nguyen Thanh Nghia to 12 months in prison. At the same time, the defendant must compensate the victim’s family 61 million VND.
Nguyen Phe
