The heartache of a girl who had to send her fiancé to jail before getting married
(Baonghean.vn) - Having met each other while working away from home, Pham and Y. fell in love. They both returned to their hometown to plan a marriage, but their plans fell through when Pham got into trouble for drug use. On the day Pham appeared in court, the girl took her young child with her and traveled a long distance so that father and child could meet.
Becoming a "transporter" after going to his girlfriend's house
Lo Van Pham (born in 1995), residing in Cam Muoi commune, Que Phong district, is the youngest of three children. After finishing secondary school, Pham dropped out of school. After staying in the village for a while, Pham wanted to go far away to start a business and find job opportunities.
With the consent of his relatives, Pham packed his belongings, left the village, took a bus to the South to work as a hired hand. Thanks to his good health and diligence, Pham was able to save some money for himself and his future.
While working here, Pham met a girl 4 years younger than him named Kha Thi Y. from Ky Son district. Both living far from home, they gradually grew fond of each other and fell in love. When Pham decided to bring his girlfriend home to meet his family to discuss marriage, Y. was pregnant.
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| Defendant Lo Van Pham. Photo: Tran Vu |
Back home, the two families met to discuss the big issue of their children. However, they had not registered their marriage yet. Around May 2020, Y. gave birth. 2 months later, Y. asked her fiancé's family for permission to go to her parents' house to give birth. After his wife had been home for a few days, Pham rented a car to visit her. But unexpectedly, that visit turned Pham into a hired drug trafficker.
Accordingly, during the days living at his future wife's house, through the social network Zalo, Pham made friends with an account named "Nhat Kiem". This person started a conversation with Pham, "Do you want to make money?". Pham replied: "Yes". Then, "Nhat Kiem" instructed Pham to deliver a small bag of goods from Tri Le commune, Que Phong district to Hanoi and would be paid 15 million VND. Blinded by the large sum of money, Pham agreed.
On the afternoon of July 16, 2020, Pham contacted the Mong ethnic man whose phone number "Nhat Kiem" had previously given. Following this man's instructions, Pham rode his motorbike to the Ta Pan bridge area, Tri Le commune, to get 4 packages.drug. Then, Pham brought the drugs home and hid them without telling anyone. That same evening, Pham packed the drugs into his backpack and prepared to go to Hanoi. To make the trip easier, Pham hired a taxi to take him to the capital for 3 million VND.
However, when the car carrying Lo Van Pham reached Chau Binh commune, Quy Chau district, the police discovered and caught red-handed many packages of drugs with a total weight of more than 1.3 kg of drugs.
"I will still wait for him to come back"
On the day Lo Van Pham appeared in court, his girlfriend brought her small child to the court. Both of them could not stop crying when they saw each other. Seeing his future wife in such a difficult situation, Pham could only apologize, then wipe away his tears with his handcuffed hands. The defendant shared that since his arrest, he has always felt guilty about his wrongdoings. Pham wished that if he could go back to that day, he would flatly refuse "Nhat Kiem's" invitation.
However, everything is now too late for Pham. While Pham was arrested and brought to trial, the investigation agency has not yet verified who “Nhat Kiem” is, where he is now, how old he is…
Before the jury, defendant Pham did not deny his crime but sincerely admitted his wrongdoing. The defendant stated that he agreed to be a drug transporter for 15 million VND in wages.
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| Ms. Y carried her young child to the court to meet her husband. Photo: Tran Vu |
In the hallway of the court, the defendant's wife also cried her eyes out when she saw her husband-to-be. Holding her 8-month-old baby in her arms, Ms. Y shared: "I never expected that his visit to my mother and me would turn into a farewell trip. When I received the news that he was arrested, I was so shocked, I cried the whole time. I don't understand why he was so foolish. Now that everything is over, I just hope he will work hard to reform and find a chance to return."
Y. also said that since Pham was arrested, she has brought her child to the detention center several times to visit him. “Every time we met, he cried and apologized to me. He also encouraged me to take care of the child for him. I just feel sorry for the child because he did not receive love from his father when he was born and suffered many disadvantages. I will wait for him to come back,” Y. confided while holding her child.
Considering the defendant’s actions as a violation of the law. Because of greed, he disregarded the law and agreed to transport a large amount of drugs, so he should be severely punished. However, the fact that the defendant is an ethnic minority, committed the crime for the first time, and has a good personal history are mitigating circumstances. Considering the entire case, the panel sentenced Lo Van Pham to life in prison for the crime of Illegally transporting drugs.
As soon as she heard the verdict, Y. burst into tears, her face flushed. The mother's tears accidentally fell, waking up her sleeping child in her arms. The child's cries from the courtroom made Pham sob....
