>> 14 year old suffers unthinkable torture
>> Two more arrested for participating in torture of 14 year old
>> Additional charges in case of tortured child
>> Torture victim gets free representation
>> Woman requests to be taken into custody
>> Accused torturers face prosecution

Couple Giang and Thom, perpetrators of the vicious torture of a young boy, have both been sentenced to 23 years in prison for their crimes. They were convicted of “torture” and “intentionally causing injuries” as stated in the verdict on June 29.

Many people wait to hear news of the sentence.

Considering the criminal nature of the case extremely serious, the jury of the People’s Court of Ca Mau Province announced that shrimp farm owners Huynh Thanh Giang and Ma Ngoc Thom, who repeatedly abused and tortured Nguyen Hao Anh over a period of 20 months, will each be sentenced to 20 years for “intentionally causing injuries” and 3 years for “torture” crimes, making it a total of 23 years in prison for each. Luu Van Khanh and Lam Ly Quynh, who worked for the couple and participated in the horrific torture of the boy will each serve 1 year and 6 months.

It was also decided that Huynh Thanh Giang and Ma Ngoc Thom will have to compensate VND 58 million (USD 3,000) as a result of the injuries that they inflicted upon Nguyen Hao Anh.

Since the case came out two months ago, it has stirred up a lot of anger in the public and is crossed both moral ethics and current laws.

The lawyers, who were defending Huynh Thanh Giang and Ma Ngoc Thom at the hearing protested that the sentencing was too harsh and should be reduced to a serve of 15 years in prison instead. A representative of the Procuracy reasoned that the sentence had been based on sound decisions regarding the serious nature of the crime, and through this verdict, a strong message will be sent out to deter future offenders of similar crimes.