Prisoner holds razor blade to officer's neck, demands transfer to another prison.

(Baonghean.vn) - While in prison, Cong brought half a razor blade to the infirmary, stood behind an officer, used his right hand to strangle him, and pressed the razor blade against the officer's neck with his left hand, demanding to be transferred to another prison.

On the afternoon of August 24th, the People's Court of Tan Ky District tried the criminal case against Pham Minh Cong (born in 1994, residing in Tri Ton District, An Giang Province), an inmate at K2 sub-camp, Prison No. 3, Tan Ky, Nghe An Province, for the crime of "Illegal detention".

According to the indictment, at approximately 7:30 AM on April 25, 2017, inmate Pham Minh Cong, carrying half a razor blade, went from cell I.4 down to the infirmary of Sub-camp No. 2, Prison No. 3, General Department VIII, Ministry of Public Security to ask for medicine.

Prisoner Pham Minh Cong at the court. Photo: Phuong Hao

Upon arriving at the room and seeing Ms. Nguyen Thi Dung (a clinic staff member) working inside, Cong went in, stood behind Ms. Dung, used his right hand to strangle her, and with his left hand, pressed a razor blade against her neck, saying, "If you scream, I will slash your face."

In a panic, Ms. Dung cried out for help, but Cong dragged her from her desk to the front door of the infirmary's restroom to barricade himself and demand that the prison management transfer her to another prison.

At this point, inmate Doan Van Nghia (a medical assistant at the infirmary) ran over, saw what was happening, and tried to intervene, but inmate Cong did not let go and continued to strangle and drag Ms. Dung. A short while later, other inmates working nearby heard the cries for help and rushed to rescue Ms. Dung, taking her outside and subduing inmate Cong, handing him over to the prison officer on duty.

At the investigative agency as well as at the trial, defendant Pham Minh Cong admitted to all the acts he had committed, exactly as stated in the indictment.

While the case itself is relatively minor, the incident occurred within a prison, affecting security and order as well as the rehabilitation environment for other inmates, causing them to feel confused and unsettled.

When committing the crime, the defendant was aware that using a razor blade to hold Ms. Dung hostage to demand a change of prison camp not only violated the law but also infringed upon the honor of the officers on duty at the camp, and therefore deserved severe punishment.

The defendant is a dangerous repeat offender, whose previous conviction has not been expunged, and who has now committed another crime intentionally; therefore, the defendant is subject to the aggravating circumstance of dangerous recidivism.

The court sentenced Pham Minh Cong to 18 months in prison. Combining this with the remaining sentence from his previous convictions for the crimes of "Illegal arrest and detention; Robbery; Disturbing public order; and Intentional infliction of injury," the defendant Pham Minh Cong must serve a total sentence of 9 years, 9 months, and 13 days in prison for both convictions.

Phuong Hao