A policeman in Hue is likely to be fired for beating an 11-year-old boy.
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| Results of “education” by the policeman |
The Hue City Police Department’s Disciplinary Council will propose this disciplinary measure to the provincial police for approval.
Last Friday, Tran Nguyen Hong Quang of Thuy Xuan Ward Police Office was suspended pending further investigations into the beating of Ngo Dinh Phat. The boy was beaten so violently that he had to be hospitalised.
Senior-Lieutenant Nguyen Anh, Deputy Head of Thuy Xuan Ward’s Police, could also be transferred for lax management over his subordinate.
On June 15, Phat stole VND3.1 million (USD150) from his aunt’s home to buy a mobile phone. After being caught, he returned the money to her.
Phat’s aunt later took him to the ward police office and left him there. Quang was assigned to question the boy.
In the afternoon, the police phoned Phat’s father, asking him to come and take the boy home.
After getting home, seeing Phat moaning and crying in pain, his father took off his clothes and found extensive severe bruises.
That night, after Phat had a fever, and later convulsions, his father took him to Hue Transport Hospital for emergency, where he was treated for multiple contusions on the buttock, thighs, face and ears.
The police apologised and gave the family VND1.5 million (USD72) for medical expenses. In return, the father agreed to drop the case.
Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Dang Ngoc Son, head of the city police, said, “Such violent treatment of children is totally unacceptable,” adding that Quang must be strictly punished.
The case was met by public outrage.