Defendant Le Dinh Cong (Source: VNA)

The Procuracy said six defendants - Le Dinh Cong, Le Dinh Chuc, Le Dinh Doanh, Bui Viet Hieu, Nguyen Quoc Tien and Nguyen Van Tuyen - had demonstrated clear motive and intention of murdering.

According to the Procuracy, the six were the masterminds of the crime, and they also led and directly committed criminal acts. They had closely colluded with others who were key members of a so-called “group of consensus” led by Le Dinh Kinh. Kinh had been shot dead while holding a grenade and calling on others to resist, and therefore was not included in this case.

Among the six defendants accused of “murder”, Cong was the leader who often incited others to kill police officers by posting video clips and livestreaming on social networks. He also threatened to bomb power stations and kill 300-500 police officers; assigned tasks to other defendants; and actively performed these acts.

Cong also directed and contributed money to buy petrol and grenades, guided others how to make petrol bombs and tinder, and directly threw petrol bombs and a grenade toward on-duty officers. That grenade did not explode and cause damage for on-duty officers was only unintended.

Therefore, Cong was charged with “murder” under Clause 1, Article 123 of the 2015 Penal Code. However, at the trial, he did not plead guilty and attempted to conceal his offense.

For defendant Le Dinh Chuc, a representative from the Procuracy said that on late January 8 and early January 9, when being informed of the appearance of on-duty officers in Hoanh hamlet, Chuc and other defendants brought weapons to the rooftop of a neighbouring house. They threw four petrol bombs and one grenade at the police, and used hand-made weapons to attack the police officers, causing three police officers to fall into a pit near Kinh’s house. Chuc and Doanh repeatedly poured petrol into the pit and set fire, killing the three policemen.

The Procuracy found that Chuc’s act was the most drastic and the direct cause of the death of the three on-duty policemen with an obvious murder motive and showing great aggressiveness and a lack of humanity.

During investigations and at the court, Chuc admitted his guilt, but did not really show sincerity as he still tried to blame Doanh to avoid part of his responsibility.

Meanwhile, Le Dinh Doanh actively responded to Kinh’s appeal to resist the administration with the aim of illegally occupying land at Dong Tam commune’s Senh field. Doanh joined many discussions on how to oppose the administration and kill police officers. He had received 500,000 VND (21.5 USD) from Kinh to buy knives and hire people to weld the knives to iron tubes, which were used by Doanh and other defendants in the attack on the police on late January 8 and early January 9. Doanh also set fire to kill the three policemen.

Prosecutors said that his acts were extremely serious and it is necessary to apply a severe penalty against him. However, as Doanh sincerely pleaded guilty and showed repentance and he is Cong’s son, prosecutors proposed giving him a chance to rehabilitee under the State’s humanitarian and lenient policy.

Bui Viet Hieu and Nguyen Van Tuyen, driven by greed for land, incited others to commit crime. As the death of the policemen was associated with their behaviours, they must be punished strictly, the Procuracy said, adding that there were also mitigating circumstances as Hieu committed the crime when he was over 70 years old and Tuyen is a person with disabilities.

Nguyen Quoc Tien was affirmed to participate in the case right from the beginning and actively contribute money to buy petrol and grenades. He himself made petrol bombs and purchased 10 grenades with the aim to kill policemen with his accomplices. Although the grenades he had bought did not explode, this was beyond his expectation as he clearly knew the grenade were real and could cause death and severe injuries.

Therefore, the Procuracy also affirmed that Tien must be published strictly and receive a penalty commensurate with his criminal acts. During the investigation process and at the court, Tien pleaded guilty and asked for clemency.

According to the procuracy’s indictment, despite being well aware that the land at the Senh field of Dong Tam commune was used for defence purpose under the management of the Defence Ministry as confirmed by the Hanoi Inspectorate and the Government Inspectorate, in 2013, Kinh (born in 1936, a resident in Hoanh hamlet) and some others set up the “group of consensus” with the aim of re-occupying and dividing the land lot among themselves.

They frequently incited locals to file complaints about the Dong Tam administration’s land management and use, used social networks to spread the false information that the Senh field belongs to Dong Tam commune and called on local people to “struggle to keep the land”.

In late 2019 and early 2020, upon learning that the Hanoi Department of Public Security coordinated with the air defence – air force service of the Defence Ministry to deploy personnel to protect the force building fencing walls around the Mieu Mon airfield on the Senh field, Kinh and his accomplices bought weapons with the aim of attacking the authorised force.

In the early hours on January 9, 2020, when the police arrived at the gate of Hoanh hamlet, about 50m from Kinh’s house, the group used hand-made weapons to attack the police force, causing three police officers to fall into a pit near Kinh’s house. Le Dinh Chuc and Le Dinh Doanh poured gasoline into the pit and set fire, killing the three policemen.

At the same time, the authorised force found Kinh holding a grenade and calling on others to resist, so they decided to shoot him dead.

The trial for the 29 defendants in the case began on September 7 and is scheduled to last 10 days./.

Dong Tam case: Charges against 19 defendants changed

The Hanoi People’s Procuracy has decided to change the charges against 19 defendants in the murder of three policemen in Dong Tam commune in the capital city’s My Duc district.

The defendants - Le Dinh Uy, Le Dinh Quang, Nguyen Van Quan, Bui Van Tien, Bui Van Tuan, Trinh Van Hai, Le Dinh Quan, Bui Van Nien, Bui Thi Noi, Tran Thi La, Nguyen Van Due, Nguyen Thi Bet, Nguyen Xuan Dieu, Nguyen Thi Lua, Bui Thi Duc, Mai Thi Phan, Dao Thi Kim, Le Thi Loan, and Nguyen Van Trung - were among 29 defendants in the trial held by the municipal People’s Court and are now charged with “resisting on-duty officers” pursuant to Article 330 of the 2015 Penal Code instead of the charge of “murder” under Article 123.

The charge of “murder” have been retained against six defendants - Le Dinh Cong, Le Dinh Chuc, Le Dinh Doanh, Bui Viet Hieu, Nguyen Quoc Tien, and Nguyen Van Tuyen, as the indictment.

The representative of the People’s Procuracy asked the trial panel to sentence Le Dinh Cong and Le Dinh Chuc to death, Le Dinh Doanh to life imprisonment, Bui Viet Hieu and Nguyen Quoc Tien to 16-18 years in prison, and Nguyen Van Tuyen to 14-16 years behind bars.

For those charged with “resisting on-duty officers”, the representative of the People’s Procuracy proposed the trial panel sentence Le Dinh Uy, Le Dinh Quang, and Nguyen Van Quan to 6-7 years in prison, Bui Van Tien to 5-6 years, Le Dinh Quan, Trinh Van Hai, and Bui Thi Noi to 4-5 years, Bui Thi Duc, Bui Van Tuan, Tran Thi La, Nguyen Thi Bet, Nguyen Van Due, and Nguyen Xuan Dieu to 3-4 years, Nguyen Thi Lua to two and a half years to three years, and Mai Thi Phan and Bui Van Nien to between two years and two and a half years.

Meanwhile, it was proposed that Le Thi Loan receive a suspended sentence of between two and a half years and three years; Dao Thi Kim a suspended sentence of two to two and a half years; Nguyen Van Trung a suspended sentence from one and a half years to two years; and Le Dinh Hien, Bui Viet Tien, Nguyen Thi Dung, and Tran Thi Phuong suspended sentences of 15-18 months.

In the impeachment statement, the representative of the People’s Procuracy said that the group of 19 defendants prepared weapons and acted under the direction of Le Dinh Kinh and Le Dinh Cong. The acts of all the defendants assisted others to commit murder, as per the indictment from the Hanoi People’s Procuracy.

Through public questioning at the trial, the People’s Procuracy found that, having been manipulated and provoked, each defendant participated in committing crimes at every stage and at a certain level. Some contributed money to buying petrol, flares, and grenades, while some made petrol bombs and prepared bricks and stones to throw, and others were involved in transporting and preparing the tools and means for Le Dinh Cong’s group to commit murder.

The defendants had a limited awareness of laws and blindly trusted and followed Le Dinh Kinh. They are aware of their wrongdoings, made sincere testimony, and expressed remorse.

They committed an intentional crime but did not directly commit acts that resulted in the death of the three policemen.

The Hanoi People’s Procuracy therefore applied the State’s humane policy to impose lesser charges and apply a penalty below the lowest in the sentencing framework to a number of defendants.

The Hanoi People’s Procuracy requested the trial panel consider applying lighter punishments on the 19 defendants pursuant to Article 319 of the 2015 Penal Code. VNA

Dong Tam case: four defendants admit guilt in resisting on-duty officers

Four defendants charged with resisting on-duty officers in the police murder case in Dong Tam commune of Hanoi’s My Duc district admitted to being guilty during questioning at court on September 8.