The restaurant owner was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

On the afternoon of August 7th, the Hanoi City People's Court announced its verdict in the case of the fire that occurred at the ISIS karaoke bar (Quan Hoa Street, Cau Giay District, Hanoi), which resulted in the deaths of three firefighters.

Defendant Pham Duy Hung, owner of the ISIS karaoke bar, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The crime is very serious.

The trial panel decided to sentence defendant Pham Duy Hung (40 years old, owner of ISIS karaoke bar) to 10 years in prison for violating fire safety regulations, as stipulated in Article 313 of the 2015 Penal Code.

Regarding civil liability, the court ordered the defendant to compensate each victim's family 230 million VND, and in addition, to provide monthly support of 2 million VND to the mother of fallen soldier Dang Anh Quan, and 2 million VND per month to Quan's two children until they reach the age of 18.

The trial panel assessed that the defendant Pham Duy Hung's criminal act was very serious, threatening the lives and property of citizens; causing an immeasurable disaster in terms of both people and property, especially the sacrifice of a firefighter.

Prosecutor weeps as she reads indictment in ISIS karaoke bar fire case.

The defendant was fully aware of the consequences of his actions but still deliberately carried them out, therefore a harsh sentence is necessary to deter and prevent similar crimes in the future.

The verdict stated that in March 2018, the defendant Pham Duy Hung purchased the ISIS karaoke business. According to the license, the establishment was only permitted to operate 4 karaoke rooms, but in reality, it had 9 rooms.

In February 2022, the defendant Hung hired people to renovate and expand two karaoke rooms on the 7th floor using iron frames, corrugated iron walls, gypsum ceilings, soundproofing layers, electrical systems, air conditioning, and decorations…

According to regulations, any expansion must be approved by the authorities, and after completion, it must be inspected and approved before being put into use. However, the defendant Hung did not notify the authorities, nor had he been granted a certificate of compliance with security and fire safety regulations, but he used room 702 as a karaoke room and room 701 as a storage room.

In the early afternoon of August 1, 2022, a short circuit occurred in the electrical wiring inside the air conditioner unit in karaoke room 702, causing the insulation to catch fire and the flames to spread, engulfing the entire karaoke bar.

Upon receiving the report, the Hanoi City Police dispatched numerous fire trucks and firefighters to the scene. During the firefighting and rescue operation, three firefighters, Dang Anh Quan, Nguyen Dinh Phuc, and Do Duc Viet, were trapped by falling debris blocking the staircase and escape route, resulting in the deaths of all three.

Scene of the ISIS karaoke bar fire in 2022

The restaurant owner apologized to the families of the three soldiers.

Previously, to facilitate the trial, the court summoned a firefighter who had directly participated in extinguishing the fire and rescuing victims at the ISIS karaoke bar. This officer stated that the cause of death for the three firefighters was due to the building's extremely airtight structure, with virtually no openings, leading to heat buildup.

Upon arriving at the scene, the fire department was unaware of the presence of a technical shaft inside the building, as it was obscured, thus hindering their firefighting efforts. This also caused flammable materials to fall along the technical shaft, causing the fire to spread from the first floor up the entire building, instead of initially burning only in the attic and penthouse areas. The fault lies with the building's owner.

Present in court, representatives of the families of the three deceased firefighters requested that the defendant compensate them according to the law, including funeral expenses, losses, and support for their relatives.

"The defendant's blatant disregard for the law has had extremely serious consequences, including the sacrifice of my son; this is an aggravating circumstance for the defendant," the father of martyr Do Duc Viet said, his voice choked with emotion.

For his part, defendant Pham Duy Hung admitted to all charges. The owner of the ISIS karaoke bar acknowledged that his wrongdoing was partly responsible for the deaths of the three soldiers. The defendant expressed deep remorse and regret, had no defense, and accepted to pay compensation as stipulated by law.

Given the opportunity to speak his final words, the karaoke bar owner apologized to the victims' families and hoped the court would consider mitigating his sentence so that he could return to rebuild his life and earn money to pay off his debts.

The prosecutor's representative assessed the defendant's criminal act as having caused exceptionally serious consequences, especially in the context of the recent complex situation of fires and explosions, and recommended a strict punishment to serve as a warning to others, thus proposing a sentence of 10-12 years in prison.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/vu-chay-quan-karaoke-khien-3-canh-sat-hy-sinh-chu-quan-bi-phat-10-nam-tu-185230807164853222.htm