Cyclo driver who killed boy sentenced to 6 months of reform

In court, the cyclo driver who transported the metal sheet that killed the boy said he was very remorseful for his actions and hoped the jury would consider his case.

On March 27, the People's Court of Hoang Mai District (Hanoi) opened the first instance trial of defendant Dinh Ngoc Thach (52 years old, from Ha Nam) for the crime of Violating regulations on controlling road vehicles.

In the early afternoon, Mr. Thach, his wife and children were present at the court. A short while later, his comrades who had fought with him on the battlefield also arrived. Concern was evident on the faces of those who cared for him.

Defendant Thach said he was very remorseful for his actions. Photo: Van Thanh.

According to many of Mr. Thach's fellow veterans, after returning from the battlefield, their comrades' health declined and became weak due to the after-effects of old wounds.

In particular, after accidentally causing the death of a 9-year-old child in the same neighborhood, Mr. Thach has always lived in a state of remorse and regret. According to Ms. Le Thi Phuong (Mr. Thach's wife), since being released on bail, her husband has often suffered from insomnia and has not been able to eat much.

"Many nights while he was sleeping, he would wake up sweating or mumbling in his sleep, shouting for help," Ms. Phuong shared.

According to the prosecution records, Mr. Thach is a war invalid who earns his living by pedicab transporting goods. On the afternoon of September 23, 2016, Mr. Thach transported corrugated iron to Tan Mai Street, stopped in front of house number 60 to call a customer to come and pick up the goods. At that time, Hoang (9 years old) was riding his bicycle without looking closely and hit a sharp, uncovered corrugated iron sheet. As a result, Hoang was cut in the neck by the corrugated iron sheet and died at the hospital.

Defendant Thach's wife and daughter in court. Photo: Van Thanh.

The investigation agency concluded that the 52-year-old defendant parked his vehicle illegally, causing death. The victim was also partly at fault for not paying attention while driving.

Before the trial, Mr. Thach's family compensated the victim's family 130 million VND and filed a petition for leniency for the defendant.

In court, Mr. Thach said that to collect the above amount of money, his teammates had to help a little bit, plus his wife had to run around everywhere to make enough. His family's situation became even more difficult because after the incident, he just stayed at home and did not do any more work.

Continuing, Mr. Thach said that after the incident happened, he felt very regretful and often went with his family to burn incense for the deceased.

The panel of judges determined that the defendant had a good character and many mitigating circumstances... so they sentenced the defendant Thach to 6 months of non-custodial reform for the crime of violating regulations on road traffic control.

According to Zing.vn