5 years in prison for ferryman who seriously injured passenger crossing the river

On December 31, the People's Court of Bac Lieu province brought the murder case against Trinh Hoang Phuong for the crime of "Murder" as prescribed in Clause 2, Article 123 of the Penal Code to the first instance trial.

Due to a conflict over paying for the ferry fare, at around 11:00 p.m. on February 8, 2024, defendant Trinh Hoang Phuong (48 years old, residing in Phuoc Thanh 1 Hamlet, Long Thanh Commune, Vinh Loi District) got into a fight with LTT, a passenger crossing the river. After that, defendant Phuong used a knife to stab the victim LTT repeatedly in the abdomen and chest, causing the following injuries: perforated pericardium, perforated diaphragm, perforated liver, perforated mesentery of ileum, pleural effusion... Through examination, the total body injury rate was 86%. The victim did not die thanks to timely emergency care, therefore, defendant Phuong was prosecuted for murder in accordance with legal provisions.

During the investigation of the case and at the trial, it was determined that the cause of the incident stemmed from the victim LTT being drunk, actively causing trouble, intentionally making things difficult for the defendant Phuong about paying for the ferry, and also holding the ferry engine intending to throw it into the river, leading to a fight between the two. From there, it was determined that the defendant's crime was partly the victim's fault, so the defendant's criminal behavior was not hooliganism. In addition, the victim also filed a petition to reduce the defendant's sentence; the defendant actively compensated and remedied the consequences for the victim with an amount of more than 173 million VND.

At the end of the trial, the Provincial People's Court sentenced defendant Trinh Hoang Phuong to 5 years in prison.