The tea plantation owner beat the tea thief to death.

The Hanoi High Court recently held an appeal hearing to try Mac Van Lieu (born in 1967, residing in Yen Hop commune, Quy Hop district) for the crime of "KillingThe trial was opened due to an appeal filed by the defendant.

According to the initial verdict, due to frequent tea theft, at around 7 PM on March 2, 2020, upon discovering Mr. MVH (born in 1968) entering his tea garden, Mac Van Lieu ran out to investigate. The man picked up a section of bamboo about 2.5 meters long before entering the garden.

Upon discovering Mr. H. cutting down his tea plants, Lieu confronted him, but Mr. H. ran away, prompting Lieu to chase after him. After a short distance, Mr. H. returned and attacked the owner of the tea plantation with a knife. Lieu used a bamboo stick to hit Mr. H. on the head, chest, and stomach, causing him to fall and the knife to drop to the ground.

Defendant Mac Van Lieu. Photo: Tran Vu

Lieu picked up a knife and attacked Mr. H. in the face. Seeing the victim lying unconscious, Lieu shouted for people to come and witness the incident, claiming he "didn't hit or beat him." The victim was then taken home by relatives. Mr. H. died in the early hours of the following morning.

The cause of death of Mr. MVH was determined to be a fractured skull and cerebral hemorrhage due to trauma. Upon learning of Mr. H.'s death, Mac Van Lieu surrendered to the police. At the request of the victim's family, Lieu's family paid the full compensation of 60 million VND.

At the first-instance trial, the defendant Lieu admitted his crime. He testified that he was frustrated by the repeated destruction of his tea plantation by vandals, and when he saw Mr. H. cutting down his tea plants with a knife, and then being attacked by Mr. H. with a knife, he lost control and committed the crime. The first-instance court determined that the defendant's act of murder was of a violent nature. In this case, the victim was partly at fault, and the court sentenced Mac Van Lieu to 10 years in prison.

Believing the initial verdict was too harsh, the defendant appealed for a reduced sentence. At the appellate court, Lieu argued that the lower court's assessment that his act of murder was violent was inaccurate. He stated that he did not intentionally kill H., but that H. had stolen tea and then attacked him first. Therefore, he acted in self-defense.

The defendant also cited his family circumstances and lack of legal knowledge to request a reduced sentence.

Considering that the defendant did not provide any new information at this trial compared to the first-instance trial, and that the defendant's relentless assault leading to the victim's death despite the victim's lack of resistance constitutes a brutal act, the first-instance verdict against the defendant is deemed appropriate. Therefore, the appellate court rejects the defendant's appeal. The 10-year prison sentence for Mac Van Lieu for the crime of murder is upheld.

Tran Vu