Police cleared of brutality charges

The People's Court of Phu Yen Province yesterday annulled a sentence handed down to five former police officers in a case of brutality.

According to the verdict, which was handed down by the People's Court of Tuy Hoa City of the province last April, five ex-police officers, Nguyen Than Thao Thanh, Pham Ngoc Man, Nguyen Tan Quang, Do Nhu Huy and Nguyen Minh Quyen, were sentenced to spend from six months to five years in jail for beating a prisoner to death during an interrogation.


The case's documents will be returned to Tuy Hoa City's People's Procuracy for further investigation to prepare for a second trial. The annulment also voids any appeals against the first ruling by the accused or the victim's legal representative.

According to the initial indictment, the five men were found guilty of beating Ngo Thanh Kieu, 32, to death while questioning him about his alleged involvement in a burglary that took place in 2012.

According to prosecutors, Thanh had repeatedly hit Kieu on the head with a rubber baton, causing brain injuries. The other four had also hit Kieu on the body with rubber batons during the interrogation, they said.

A post-mortem showed that Kieu had died of brain and other injuries.

After the trial, Kieu's relatives told the media that they would appeal the verdicts, saying they were too lenient.