From a single slap, the two brothers found themselves entangled in legal troubles.
From a minor disagreement, two brothers in Minh Hop commune lost control of their anger and ended up in legal trouble. Standing before the court, they realized that a single moment of impulsiveness had shattered their future, leaving pain for themselves, their families, and others.
He dragged his younger brother into the fight.
Phan Anh Tuan (born in 2003) and Phan Viet Duc (born in 2006), both residing in Minh Hop commune (Nghe An province), are brothers. Both completed junior high school before dropping out. The older brother later got married and is now the father of two young children, while Duc stays at home helping his parents with farm work.
On December 23, 2024, Tuan and some friends went to eat at a pub in the village. Around noon, Tuan went to the restroom and was attacked by a dog chained nearby. He bit the man's trouser leg. Believing that Tuan had kicked his dog, causing it to bark, Vo Van B. (born in 1993, son of the owner of the pub) ran out to confront him, leading to an argument. At this point, B. slapped Tuan in the face. After being slapped, Tuan punched B. in the head. The fight stopped when someone intervened.
Just when it seemed the matter was settled, Tuan called his younger brother for help. Hearing that his brother had been beaten, Phan Viet Duc wanted to take his mother's motorbike to go to his rescue, but his mother objected. Despite this, the son still took a knife and left the house. Fearing her son would get into a fight, the mother rode on the back of Duc's motorbike to the pub.
Upon arriving at the shop, Duc asked his brother, "Where's that guy?" Tuan pointed inside. Duc gave his brother a knife, and the two ran into the shop to find Mr. B. When they found Mr. B. near the chicken coop, Duc slashed him. Injured, Mr. B. grabbed a shovel and swung it, but Duc slashed his hand. Then, Tuan also ran up and slashed Mr. B.'s shoulder and arm.
After being slashed, Mr. B. ran out in front of the shop, but Tuan chased after him and continued slashing. The victim continued to run but stopped due to heavy bleeding, and Tuan caught up with him and inflicted several more slashes. The incident only ended when the mother of the two assailants ran over, snatched the knives from her sons' hands, and threw them away.
Mr. B suffered multiple injuries to his hands, back, and shoulders, resulting in a 44% bodily injury rate. After several days of treatment at the hospital, the victim was discharged with numerous scars on his hands. On January 2, 2025, Mr. B filed a request for criminal prosecution. Subsequently, the authorities initiated criminal proceedings against the two brothers for the crime of intentionally causing injury.
Paying the price for impulsiveness.
For the crime of intentionally causing injury, the first-instance court sentenced Phan Anh Tuan to 39 months in prison, while defendant Phan Viet Duc received a 36-month prison sentence but with a suspended sentence. In addition, the court ordered the two defendants to compensate the victim nearly 200 million VND. Subsequently, the victim filed an appeal requesting an increase in the prison sentences for the two defendants and an increase in civil compensation.
At the recent appeal hearing at the Provincial Court, the victim presented reasons for the appeal, including: the defendants committed the crime in a brutal manner, pursued the crime to the end, and acted in an organized manner, requesting the Court to increase the prison sentence. At the same time, the victim demanded additional compensation of over 300 million VND for the physical injuries sustained from the defendants' knife attacks.
Answering the court's questions, both defendants admitted to the crime. Both stated that they acted impulsively and without self-control due to anger. Defendant Tuan testified that he called his younger brother because he was angry about being slapped in the face by Mr. B. He also admitted that he had been drinking and therefore couldn't control himself. Defendant Duc stated that because of their brotherly bond, when he heard his brother call and say "get a knife," he immediately rode his motorbike there without much thought.
Explaining the reason for slapping him, the victim stated that the defendant, Tuan, kicked his family's dog but denied the crime and said offensive things, which angered the victim. A fight then broke out between them, and others intervened. “Why, after being separated by others, did the defendant call his brother to bring a knife? If the defendant had stopped, perhaps the subsequent events wouldn't have happened.” In response to the court's questioning, Tuan remained silent. The defendant expressed remorse for dragging his younger brother into legal trouble, resulting in both brothers now having to stand trial.
At the trial, the judges also reminded everyone to control their anger, as such actions can have serious consequences, and this case is a prime example. The two defendants' act of using knives to attack the victim caused significant health damage.
Pointing to his arms covered in scars, Mr. B. sadly explained that after suffering knife attacks from the two defendants, his family had taken him to several hospitals for treatment. These injuries have significantly affected his health and mental state. “I am unmarried, a healthy young man, and the breadwinner of my family, but after being attacked by the two defendants, my health and mental state have been greatly affected,” the victim sadly shared. Therefore, at the trial, he requested that the defendants pay additional civil compensation.
Throughout the trial, the mother of the two defendants sat sadly. When questioned by the court about why she was present but did not intervene to stop her sons from attacking someone, the 45-year-old woman explained that after seeing Duc approaching his older brother with a knife, she followed out of fear. Upon arriving at the restaurant, she was unable to stop them because they acted so quickly. As a mother witnessing her sons' unlawful actions that harmed others, she was deeply distressed. Therefore, at the trial, she apologized to the victim and hoped the court would consider mitigating the sentences for her two sons.
The appellate court ruled that the actions of the two defendants were dangerous to society and constituted the crime of intentionally inflicting bodily harm. In this case, defendant Phan Anh Tuan was the instigator, encouraging his younger brother to assault the victim, so the court increased his prison sentence from 39 months to 42 months. Defendant Phan Viet Duc's sentence of 36 months suspended, as in the first-instance judgment, was upheld.
The sentence for the two defendants is the price they pay for their impulsive and unrestrained behavior. From a small conflict, the two brothers lost their future, leaving pain for themselves and others. This story once again reminds everyone to learn to control their emotions and remain calm in all situations, because a moment of anger can lead to a lifetime of regret.
