Court to rehear principal’s sex trial
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The Ha Giang Provincial People’s Court will conduct its first hearing on the case of a high school principal sentenced for having sex with underage students Thursday.
The defendants, 54-year-old Sam Duc Xuong, former principal of Viet Vinh High School in Bac Quang District and Xuong’s former students, 20-year-old Nguyen Thuy Hang and 19-year-old Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy will be present at the hearing.
In November 2009, a district People’s Court sentenced Xuong to 10 years and a half in prison for having sex with Hang and Thuy and through them, other underage students since 2008.
Xuong paid at least nine students aged between 13 and 17 to have sex with him since 2008.
Hang and Thuy were sentenced to six years and five years respectively for procuring other students for Xuong.
Last year, however, the provincial People’s Court ordered fresh investigations into the case after Hang’s and Thuy’s lawyers alleged the involvement of 16 senior provincial officials.
The lawyers, Tran Dinh Trien and Nguyen Van Tu, charged the district investigators with protecting these officials.
The two lawyers won’t attend tomorrow’s hearing as Hang and Thuy have asked to defend themselves.
As for the 16 senior officials allegedly involved, the Ha Giang Police said there wasn’t enough evidence for criminal charges.
The hearing will be closed to protect underage victims.
