Male restaurant owner uses 'dirty trick' to push employee into prostitution

Raping employees on their first day of work, two restaurant owners forced them to go out on the street every day to greet customers and solicit sex.

Throughout the trial held at the Ha Tinh People’s Court in early December, Nguyen Thanh Trinh (57 years old) and Le Xuan Ky (47 years old) repeatedly claimed their innocence, denying the rape of the 14-year-old girl. Below the courtroom, many people were outraged by the denial of the two male pimps.

According to the verdict, Trinh and Ky opened a restaurant to disguise themselves as a prostitution organization in Ky Phong commune (Ky Anh district, Ha Tinh). In June 2016, the two "pimps" called their former employee Lo Thi Xuan Ly (31 years old) to ask her to find female employees.

A week later, Ly replied that he had found a 14-year-old girl with a salary agreement of five million VND. After welcoming the new employee to the restaurant, Trinh and Ky forced the girl into the back room, restrained her, and took turns raping her despite all her pleas.

Three defendants at the trial opened on December 8. Photo: D.H

With a stern and humble expression, Ly explained that he was the victim's neighbor, but at that time he was only thinking about how to earn money to raise his child, so when he heard Trinh's suggestion, he "closed his eyes" and planned to push the girl into the "devil's den". "The defendant is very remorseful for having done something unethical," Ly said.

At the trial, the court did not conduct a centralized interrogation, the defendants were isolated in a closed room to await answers. Brought to the dock, Trinh and Ky each pleaded innocent, claiming that they were forced to confess during the investigation. The defendants did not rape or organize the trafficking of children.

Trinh stated that there was no labor contract, everything was only verbally discussed, promising to pay the girl three million VND per month. "I consider the girl as my niece, my younger sister, sometimes when I'm tired we sleep in the same bed, I don't overdo it," the defendant said.

The judge asked: What was the purpose of giving Ly five million dong? The two defendants replied: It was money lent to a former employee for spending. "During the investigation, the statements and the self-confession were very consistent. Why didn't you react a year ago, and now you're making excuses like that?", the judge said.

Defendant Ky in a van leaving the court. Photo: Duc Hung

Holding a thick file, the presiding judge cited the conclusion of the investigation agency that a few months before committing the crime, Trinh and Ky had recruited three young girls, aged 16-17, to work as waitresses at the restaurant, then used force to rape these young girls, forcing them to stand on the street to solicit sex.

"After escaping the "devil's den", the victims have all rebuilt their lives and started families, so they don't want to talk about the past, afraid of affecting their dignity. The evidence and crimes are so clear, why are they so stubborn?", said a juror.

Realizing that Trinh and Ky's statements did not match and were contradictory, the court affirmed that the two defendants' reactions that they were forced to confess by the investigation agency were baseless.

The victim's representative confided that after a year, the girl's spirit has improved, she is no longer panicked and afraid like before, but her psychology has been seriously affected. "Those who use other people's bodies for business and trade need to be severely punished," said the victim's family representative.

A jury analyzed that the defendant was old enough to be a father or grandfather, while the victim was only 14 years old, no different from his own child. Such actions were truly shameful, how would he face his children in the future, how would he explain that his father was once a "pervert".

Having the last word, the two "Pimps" no longer raised their voices and had a resolute attitude like before, bowed their heads, and burst into tears in court. Both apologized and admitted that the accusations that the investigation agency had made were correct. Their "recantation" was due to panic, fearing that if they were sentenced, they would go to prison for many years.

Defendant Ly received much criticism from his family for pushing the young girl into the "devil's den". Photo: Duc Hung

The panel of judges determined that the actions of the three defendants were very dangerous to society, defied the law, directly harmed the normal development of children, caused social unrest, and required them to be isolated from social life for a long time to realize their mistakes.

The court sentenced Trinh to 20 years in prison for Child Rape and four years in prison for Child Trafficking, for a total of 24 years. Ky was sentenced to 15 years in prison for Child Rape and three years in prison for Child Trafficking, for a total of 18 years. Ly was sentenced to three years in prison for Child Trafficking.

Receiving the verdict, Trinh and Ky trembled, their faces filled with panic, only having time to look back at their crying wives and children as they walked out to the van. Ly belatedly apologized to the neighbors, and quickly followed the police so as not to hear the criticism and reproaches from the courthouse.

According to VNE