Heartbreaking tears of a 7-year-old child when meeting his father in court

One day in late September, a 7-year-old boy followed a group of people from Chau Phong commune, Quy Chau district to the People's Court of Nghe An province to attend the trial of his father, defendant Lu Van Thai (born 1990), residing in Chau Phong commune, for the crime of "Illegal drug trafficking". Also an accomplice in the case was Lo Van Ha (born 1982), residing in the same locality.

Not allowed to attend the court, the 7-year-old boy could only stand outside and watch his father. Photo: Tran Vu

Not being allowed inside, the boy stood outside in the hallway with his friends. After playing with his friends, he looked inside again, his eyes fixed on where his father was standing. The skinny, pale boy said he was currently in 2nd grade. To be present at this trial, he asked his teacher for permission to stay home from school. When asked if he missed his father, the boy timidly answered "yes". Then he whispered: "I haven't seen my father for months, so I miss him very much. So, today I followed my mother here. Since then, I've seen my father standing inside, but I haven't been able to go in to see him yet." As soon as he finished speaking, the boy continued to go to the door to look at his father.

Suddenly seeing his little son in the court, Lu Van Thai was a little confused. His eyes were red, Thai tried to signal something to his son with his handcuffed hands. The boy looked at his father for a moment then turned away, wiping his tears with his hand.

At the witness stand, Thai and his accomplice admitted to their crimes. Both of them said they had been addicted to drugs for several years. Therefore, at noon on June 5, 2019, Thai went to Ha's house to discuss contributing 8 million VND each to buy drugs for use and sell for profit. After agreeing on the plan, Lo Van Ha drove his motorbike to Tri Le commune, Que Phong district first. On the way, Ha met a man and asked: "Do you know where to buy heroin?" The man nodded and asked Ha how much she wanted to buy. Ha gave all the money she had, including 8 million VND, to this man and told him there were still people who wanted to buy. The two waited a while before Thai came up.

Defendants Lu Van Thai and Lo Van Ha at the trial. Photo: Tran Vu

When they met, Thai gave them another 8 million VND to buy drugs. After a while, the man returned and gave Ha and Thai a black plastic bag containing a package of drugs. In addition, the man also gave the two defendants a small package to try. After that, the two of them rode their motorbikes back home. Ha hid the package of drugs under a jackfruit tree in her backyard. The next day, a man called Ha and asked, “Do you have any for sale?” Ha said, “Yes.”

The two agreed to deliver the goods at Tan Lac town (Quy Chau). However, when Thai and Ha went to Tan Lac town, they could not contact the other person, so they returned. When they passed through Khe Lan village, Chau Hanh commune, the police patrolled and discovered and confiscated a black plastic bag containing 2 packages of drugs weighing 63.195 grams. Lu Van Thai and Lo Van Ha were prosecuted for "Illegal drug trafficking".

From being friends living in the same village, Thai and Ha were both addicted to drugs, and then they both went to court. In front of the witness stand, the two defendants admitted that they had been addicted to drugs for several years. That was also the reason why the defendants decided to buy drugs to use gradually and sell for profit. When asked by the court about the money to buy drugs, the defendants said that they had saved up from their jobs as drivers.

Children could only look at their loved ones through the courtroom door. Photo: Tran Vu

A relative sitting outside the courtroom corridor sighed and said: “We have advised Thai many times to quit drugs for the sake of his wife and children, but he has not been successful. He has no stable job and is addicted, so his family life is even more difficult. Now that Thai has been arrested, his wife and children are even more miserable. Looking at Thai’s skinny son, he kept wishing to see his father all the way from Quy Chau down here, it breaks my heart. Poor boy, he is so young and has to live far away from his father,” this person sadly said when mentioning the son of the defendant Thai.

For the crime of “Illegal drug trafficking”, the two defendants Lu Van Thai and Lo Van Ha received a 15-year prison sentence. Seeing his father being led to the car, the 7-year-old boy quickly ran after him. Tears continuously fell down his young face, making many people feel sorry and sympathetic...