Woman who chipped the edge of a stone table escapes prison sentence.

Considering that the defendant's actions were impulsive, simple, and had minor consequences, the appellate court partially amended the judgment.

Today, the People's Court of Ha Nam province continued the appellate hearing to consider the appeal of Le Thi Trang (29 years old, Phu Ly city) claiming innocence regarding the act of intentionally damaging a stone-topped table at a karaoke bar.

After more than an hour of deliberation, the presiding judge sentenced Trang to 9 months in prison but suspended the sentence. According to the court, the sentencing was justified, but the defendant had acknowledged her actions, compensated the victim with 6 million VND to mitigate the consequences, and the victim requested a reduced sentence. The nature of the crime was not serious, and the defendant had a clear address, so a prison sentence was deemed unnecessary.

Trang expressed her joy at the appellate court's ruling and said she would try to work hard to support her child.

According to the initial verdict, on the evening of February 3rd, Trang called and went to Thanh Ha karaoke bar and got into an altercation with the owner over a room reservation. While Trang was being attacked by Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha and several others in the bar, she used a glass cup to smash a stone table. As a result of Trang's actions, the table was chipped, causing damage exceeding 2 million VND. The Phu Ly City People's Court sentenced Trang to 12 months in prison for intentionally damaging property.

Earlier in the trial, Trang's lawyer argued that his client was not guilty. The estimated damage of over 2 million VND was calculated based on the entire stone table, while only the tabletop was broken. The table was later retrieved by Ms. Ha from the investigating agency, then glued back together and used.

"The valuation agency's conclusion that the item is unusable contradicts the charge of intentionally damaging property, not destroying it," Mr. Thanh explained, arguing that the actual damage to the stone table was over one million dong.

The lawyer also rejected the valuation agency representative's view that asset depreciation does not apply to individuals or households. "There is no circular stipulating that household assets cannot be subject to depreciation, while this is an outdated regulation," Mr. Thanh countered.

The defendant testified that Ms. Ha and several other people in the restaurant attacked and injured her with a knife. "During the altercation, 7-8 people held me down, kicked me, and prevented me from leaving the restaurant," she said.

According to VNE