HÀ GIANG — The People’s Court of the Mekong Delta province of An Giang on Tuesday sentenced a Cambodian national to 25 years in prison for murder and illegal storage and use of a military weapon.

Lay Bun Thy, 53, a former Lieutenant Colonel and deputy head of the police post at Cambodia’s Phnom Den International Border Gate, got 20 years in prison for murder and another five years for the weapons charge.

According to the indictment, at about 6pm on July 16, 2016, Lay Bun Thy and six Vietnamese nationals went to a restaurant named Hương Xưa in Tịnh Biên Town of Tịnh Biên District, An Giang Province, to drink.

Phạm Văn Quang and Lê Văn Được, along with five other people, also entered the restaurant and sat opposite.

At about 8pm, Quang and Được invited Thy to drink with them but Thy refused, leading to an argument.

After Quang and Được returned to their table, Thy heard a conversation between Quang and Được, from which he assumed Quang had been behind an earlier attack on him.

Thy returned to his home, about 40 metres from the restaurant, to retrieve a K59 pistol and then returned to the restaurant.

At the restaurant, Thy asked Quang several times whether he had assaulted him earlier and when he said “yes” he fired two shots at Quang, wounding his mouth.

Được, who was sitting beside Quang, stood up and Thy shot Được in the forehead and back as he thought Được intended to attack him. 

Được died on the way to hospital while Quang was seriously injured and hospitalised.

At about 5.30am of July 17, 2016 Thy turned himself into Tịnh Biên district police.

According to the verdict, Thy will have to give VNĐ242 million (over US$10,600) in compensation to Được’s family and pay alimony to his children until they reach 18. — VNS