"Old habits die hard"...

(Baonghean) - Having previously been sentenced to 6 months in prison by the Hanoi City People's Court for theft, Dung should have understood the strictness of the law and the price of breaking the law. But "old habits die hard," and Dung continued down the path of legal trouble...

Small in stature, Vo Trong Dung (born in 1990, residing in Hung Tien commune, Nam Dan district) sat huddled in the defendant's seat. Occasionally, he would glance back, searching for his parents' encouraging gaze. But upon meeting his father's weary, sorrowful eyes, he quickly lowered his head. This was the second time Dung's father had witnessed his son paying the price for his crimes. Suffering from asthma, he would occasionally use his special medication to inhale deeply to avoid fainting during the judge's stern questioning about his son's offenses. Previously, in October 2011, Dung was sentenced to six months in prison by the Hanoi People's Court for theft. After serving his sentence, he returned home and, seeing his father's emaciated figure, promised, "I will start over." He saw a glimmer of hope in his father's deep-set eyes.

Vo Trong Dung at the trial.

Despite having been to prison once, he was given a job as a security guard for Haivina Kim Lien Company (located in Nam Giang commune, Nam Dan district). One might have thought that after his fall, a new job would bring him a chance to reform his life. But his thieving ways were ingrained in him. After a few months of work, having learned the security team's patrol schedule and taking advantage of his colleagues' carelessness, Dung stole company property. When caught, Dung vehemently denied everything but eventually had to return the stolen goods. For stealing company property, Dung was fired. Disheartened, his wife left him, abandoning their two young children.

Without a stable job, Dung struggled to make ends meet for himself and his two children. Often, he would leave the two children in the care of their paternal grandparents. Despite the hardships of losing his job, Dung showed no remorse for his past actions and continued to harbor thoughts of revenge. On the evening of January 13, 2015, Dung rented a car and enlisted two accomplices, Nguyen Thanh Kinh (born in 1989, residing in the same commune as Dung) and Banh Trong Hai (born in 1990, residing in Nam Giang commune), to steal property from Haivina Kim Lien Company. Having previously worked as a security guard there, Dung was familiar with the layout. He assigned Hai and Kinh to stand guard on the fence while he sneaked to the second floor of the company to steal. Finding the door unlocked, Dung carried out eight cardboard boxes containing sewing machines and electronic components, with a total value of nearly 100 million VND, and handed them over to his accomplices. Hai and Kinh helped Dung load eight boxes of machinery into the car. They were planning to take the "goods" to sell when they were caught red-handed by a task force from the Nam Dan District Police and the Nam Giang Commune Police.

In the criminal trial held on June 15th, recognizing Dung's serious actions, which violated state-protected property and negatively impacted local security and order, and considering Dung's bad criminal record, the court sentenced Vo Trong Dung to 27 months in prison. Banh Trong Hai, as an accomplice, was sentenced to 21 months in prison, and Nguyen Thanh Kinh to 18 months in prison for the same crime.

After receiving his sentence, Dung trudged to the prison van. Before getting into the special vehicle, he didn't forget to remind his father to send more money for food, but he never once mentioned his two young children. His wife remained missing. The two children continued to live with their grandparents. With their father in prison and their mother gone, a huge void was forming in their young hearts. Without the guidance of their parents, would they be able to grow up normally like other children with both parents?

Khang Hoa