The trial of 31-year-old Dang Ngoc Tan, the “super thief” from Da Nang, and his accomplices ended in the city on Monday.

The jury sentenced Tan to life imprisonment for committing a series of serious thefts in the city, and gave his accomplice, 30-year-old Nguyen Huu Phuoc, 14 years in prison.  They were charged with “stealing property” under Article 138 of the Vietnamese Penal Code.  Tan’s wife, Nguyen Bach Duong, was sentenced to 7 years in prison for “consuming property acquired through the commission of crimes by other persons”.  The defendants Tan and Phuoc were also required to compensate the victims for the property stolen.

The accused at their trial

According to the indictment by the local prosecutors, Tan and his accomplices carried out 36 thefts in the city, and their stolen property was valued at over 10 billion VND.

At his trial, Tan admitted his guilt and said that he was the instigator of the thefts.  He added that he would like the jury to give Phuoc a lesser punishment than he himself would receive.

The jury decided that Tan and his accomplices had indeed committed the crimes, which had negatively affected the city’s social order and security and caused serious damage to individuals’ property.