Man sentenced to prison for killing 52 honeybee hives with pesticide

On July 29, 2020, Tan Ky District People's Court tried the criminal case against Kim Van Tan (born in 1965), residing in Dong Kho Dong Tho hamlet, Nghia Dung commune, Tan Ky district, for the crime of "Property destruction".

In March 2020, Mr. Dao Van Kien (born in 1971), residing in Tan Thanh ward, Buon Ma Thuot city, Dak Lak province, brought more than 600 honey bee hives (a type of Italian bee) to the acacia garden of Mr. Ngan Van Hong in Dong Kho Dong Tho hamlet, Nghia Dung commune to raise them for honey. Since Mr. Kien brought the above-mentioned bee hives to place, the honey bee raising of Kim Van Tan's family has achieved lower results than before.

From then on, Kim Van Tan had the idea of ​​buying pesticides (planthopper killer) to put in Mr. Dao Van Kien's beehives so that Mr. Kien would have to move the beehives to another place.

Therefore, on the morning of May 30, 2020, Tan went to the Tan Ky District Plant Protection Station to buy a bottle of Victory pesticide and brought it to his shack about 200 meters from Mr. Kien's bee garden, mixed it with water, put it in a plastic bottle and waited for the right time to spread the pesticide. At about 3:00 p.m. on the same day, Kim Van Tan put the plastic bottle containing the pesticide in his bag and took it with him to herd goats in the area near Mr. Dao Van Kien's bee garden.

At around 5:00 p.m. the same day, observing that there was no one around Dao Van Kien's bee garden, Kim Van Tan poured pre-mixed pesticide onto the entrance and exit of 52 beehives, causing all the bees in the 52 hives to die and the hives to be completely damaged.

At 3:00 p.m. on June 1, 2020, realizing that his behavior was a violation of the law, Kim Van Tan went to the Tan Ky District Police Investigation Agency to surrender.

According to the minutes of the Tan Ky District Property Valuation Council, at the time right before the destruction (May 30, 2020), 52 beehives of Italian origin, with 06 honey bees, were valued at 36,400,000 VND; wooden boxes for beekeeping were valued at 7,280,000 VND. The total value of damaged assets was: 43,680,000 VND.

During the investigation, Mr. Kien asked Kim Van Tan to compensate the amount of 43,680,000 VND, so the victim did not request the defendant to pay civil compensation.

At the investigation agency, Kim Van Tan confessed to all his crimes. The defendant's confession was consistent with the collected evidence.

At the end of the trial, the panel sentenced Kim Van Tan to 21 months in prison.