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| The 9-year-old girl Hoang Thuc Phi suffers some bruises on her face. |
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| Nguyen Mui listens to the arrest warrant from a police on February 14, 2012. |
Mui admitted to police that since 2010, he has beaten his little girl Hoang Thuc Phi with his hands and rods dozens of times.
Mui also caged her in a henhouse. He even took off her clothes and tied her to a pillar of the house.
Recently, on February 10, when his wife Do Thi Hong Yen, 50, told him that she lost VND500,000 ($25) that had been in her wardrobe, he questioned Phi.
The little girl confessed that she only stole VND20,000 and had spent it all on food.
Mui gave her two hard slaps. Frightened, Phi ran away and fell to the ground, suffering bruises to the face.
However, eyewitnesses said the couple locked the door and beat Phi.
Pham Thi Anh, a neighbor, said: “Around 7:00pm that day, when we were preparing for dinner, we heard a loud cry from Phi. We tried to dissuade Mui, but he kept the door locked.”
Some neighbors informed local police about the case and asked the couple to open the door, but they were still ignored.
On the morning of February 11, the couple took the injured girl to the hospital after local authorities forcefully intervened.
Phi is being treated at Quang Ngai General Hospital for several bruises and swelling on her face. The little girl has been diagnosed with abnormal psychological behaviour as she usually gets frightened and screams when contacting strange people.
According to Dr. Pham Tan Sinh of Quang Ngai hospital, it will take around one week for her wounds to heal. He cannot, however, be sure when she will return to a normal mental state.
Police are also investigating Mui’s wife, Yen. The investigators claim that Yen will be punished if she is found guilty in this case.
Police will detain Mui for 3 to 9 days pending investigation.
