Flight attendant who spread Covid-19 asks for reduced sentence
Sentenced to two years in prison, suspended, for spreading Covid-19 to three people, Vietnam Airlines flight attendant Duong Tan Hau asked for a lighter sentence.
In his appeal to the High People's Court in Ho Chi Minh City, Hau, 28, requested the appellate court to review the entire first instance judgment of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court. The defendant said that the two-year suspended sentence and four-year probation period were "too heavy, too harsh".
"The verdict has not shown humanity and leniency towards first-time offenders who know their mistakes, have good personal records, and have contributed to society during the pandemic.Covid-19"Like darkness covering the whole world," the male flight attendant stated in the application.
According to the defendant, his violations did not reach the level of criminal prosecution. The first instance judgment did not fully consider the mitigating circumstances for him, such as: the infected people asked for a reduced sentence; during his work, he volunteered to participate in many flights to rescue Vietnamese citizens stranded abroad due to Covid-19; and he himself was infected.
Therefore, Hau hopes that the appellate court will consider reducing his sentence so that he can soon become a normal citizen.
The appeal hearing is scheduled to open on July 21.
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| Defendant Hau at the first instance trial in March. Photo: Hai Duyen |
The first instance verdict determined that Duong Tan Hau entered Vietnam from Japan on November 14, 2020, and stayed at the quarantine area managed by Vietnam Airlines on Hong Ha Street (Ward 2, Tan Binh District) from November 14 to 18.
The rule here is that members of each flight crew must be quarantined upon returning home and not come into contact with each other. However, the male flight attendant met two other people (who were later found to be infected) from the flight crew returning from Romania in the hallway.
After two negative test results, on November 18, 2020, Hau returned to quarantine at his boarding house in Ward 2, Tan Binh District. During this time, the male flight attendant and his friend, a teacher at Key English Center, went out to eat, had coffee, and took part in an English test at Hutech University.
On November 28, 2020, Hau tested positive, his friend was also infected and then passed the virus to a 1-year-old boy and a female student at the English Center.
The total damage caused by Hau spreading the disease to the community is 4,475 billion VND, including the cost of screening tests for F1 and F2 cases and quarantining cases in close contact with the patient.
Regarding the shortcomings of the Vietnam Airlines Quarantine Facility Management Board and the medical staff of Ward 2, Tan Binh District - allowing Hau to violate quarantine regulations, Ho Chi Minh City leaders have requested the authorities to handle it strictly.
