The failed bachelor's exam was once a 'model for overcoming difficulties'

"I tried to overcome adversity but felt it was only a half-hearted effort," said Phan Hoi, 40 years old, resident of Song Con village, Quang Diem commune, defendant in the case.Fraudulent appropriation of property, said at the trial opened at the People's Court of Huong Son district, Ha Tinh in mid-January.

According to the indictment, on October 6, 2022, Hoi pretended to borrow a motorbike from Nguyen Van Quan, 24 years old, residing in Quang Diem commune, to travel. Hoi then drove from Huong Son district to Vinh city, Nghe An, and took it to a pawn shop in Ben Thuy ward to pawn it for 9 million VND to pay off debts and play games.

Based on the victim’s report, after 2 days, Hoi was arrested by Huong Son District Police. Authorities determined that the motorbike Hoi had stolen was worth 13 million VND.

Defendant Hoi at the trial at Huong Son District People's Court on January 16. Photo:Duc Hung

Hoi is the youngest of three children. His mother is a factory worker and has two broken marriages. After her third love affair, she gave birth to Hoi, but his father left before he was born. The four of them live in a small, shabby house in Song Con village, Quang Diem commune. Despite the financial hardship, the mother still tries to provide for her children's education. The older siblings have grown up and have their own families. Hoi graduated from high school and then joined the army.

In 2006, Hoi joined the army and went to Dong Nai to study electrical engineering at a college in Bien Hoa City. At that time, he could not control himself, often hanging out with bad friends, falling into some vices. A year later, while working as a security guard for a restaurant, Hoi swapped an old motorbike for a new one in the parking lot and sold it. He was caught by the police and sentenced to two years in prison for the crime.Fraudulent appropriation of property.

Having just served his prison sentence in Tay Ninh, Hoi received the bad news that his mother in his hometown had terminal cancer and had passed away. He was devastated, and during the first months in prison he was paralyzed and bedridden. When he recovered his health, Hoi tried hard to reform himself and was released from prison 3 months early.

Returning to his hometown at the end of 2008, Hoi set up a tent to live on the old land left by his mother, farming and going to the forest to earn a living. During this time, he bought books to study for the exam by himself, and as a result, he passed the History Pedagogy major at Vinh University with 19.5 points.

During his four years at university, Hoi was class monitor, secretary, and graduated with a good degree. Hoi appeared frequently in the media as a poor student who overcame his circumstances to prove himself. At that time, the school, along with many individuals and organizations, praised and supported him financially.

After graduating from university in mid-2013, Hoi could not find a job in his field of education. He worked many jobs, then got involved in a life of crime. In April 2020, Hoi participated in a theft case and was sentenced to 6 months in prison by the People's Court of Nghe An province. After completing his prison sentence in October of the same year, without having his criminal record cleared, Hoi was in trouble with the law for the third time.

On the afternoon of January 16, when the police led him into the courtroom, Hoi looked around and was silent for a few seconds when he saw only a few relatives attending the court.

During the interrogation, Hoi admitted his wrongdoings, saying that he regretted his days in detention and that it was too late to defend himself now, because no one could forgive him. "I am so disappointed in myself," Hoi said.

Hoi said that after graduating from Vinh University, he applied to many places, but there were no positive results. After waiting for two years, he had to put aside his dream of becoming a teacher, went to the South and then returned to Nghe An to do odd jobs to earn money to support himself. The money he made was not enough to cover his expenses, so he gradually became depressed, fell into gaming and could not quit. Being arrested by the police twice in three years for theft to get money to play games was the result of a loose lifestyle, always relying on "past glory", Hoi said.

The defendant shared that when he passed the university entrance exam, he was admired by many people because he overcame ironic adversity to become a "shining example". During summer vacations, when he returned to his hometown in Quang Diem commune, many juniors from lower classes came to visit him and asked him to show them how to study. Hoi himself developed a sense of dependence and complacency when he saw organizations and individuals coming to give him gifts and financial support, considering himself a "typical" person.

"When I graduated from university, I thought that with my circumstances and 'fame', many people would help me and find me a good job. But in reality, no one cared because I lacked many skills," Hoi said.

The defendant said that when he applied for a job, his relatives helped him with some travel expenses, but he spent it all, leaving them disappointed. He was shunned because he repeatedly borrowed money from relatives but did not pay it back.

Hoi said that in the past, his determination to pass the university entrance exam was to fulfill the promise he made to his late mother to "become a good person". But somehow, over time, that motivation disappeared. Many times, he lived aimlessly, lost his direction, and just immersed himself in games.

A people's jury asked: "In society, situations like the defendant's are not rare. But most people, once they have risen to assert themselves, do not repeat the mistakes of the past, and become useful, inspiring people. As for the defendant, he had the opportunity to do that but missed it. Did he realize where he went wrong?"

After listening, Hoi bowed his head, his hands trembling as he held onto the court table, saying, "Perhaps I haven't tried my best." Hoi said that he often felt sorry for himself when his friends of the same age had stable jobs and settled down, while he was constantly in and out of prison. "I told myself I would try harder if I could get out of prison early this time, but I don't know if I can strive like before, because I feel like I've lost all my motivation," Hoi said in his final words.

A relative shared his regret for Hoi's inability to overcome material temptations, which ruined his future and career. "If we look at it more broadly, Hoi's inability to succeed is partly due to a lack of guidance. If only he had lived in a happy family, things would have been different," this person said.

The panel of judges believes that Hoi has a bad character, the above behavior is contempt for the law, and a severe sentence is needed for general deterrence and prevention, with a sentence of 1 year and 4 months in prison.

Receiving the sentence, the defendant did not say a word, but quickly followed the police to the van. However, when he reached the gate, he saw the crowd outside busy shopping for New Year's items, Hoi wiped away his tears. That day was the afternoon of the 25th of Tet.