Elderly man jailed for impregnating minor in HCMC

A court in Ho Chi Minh City’s Thu Duc City on Wednesday handed over the sentence to Le Duy Hien, a local resident, under the charge of “having intercourse with a person from 13 years old to under 16 years old.”

According to the verdict, in May 2020, Hien lured the girl, then 14, into his home in Binh Trung Tay Ward and had sexual intercourse with her.

The girl lives near his home and back then, she usually hung out with other children in the neighborhood in the front yard of Hien’s house.

In June 2020, the mother of the girl noticed differences in her daughter so she took the girl to a healthcare facility for checking. It was then confirmed that the girl was pregnant.

Following the girl’s statements, police investigated Hien. He dismissed any accusations at first, but then the examination results concluded that he was the father of the fetus.

The girl later told the police that Hien had raped her more than once when she was under 13, but he denied all accusations.

The girl’s mother had decided for her to receive medical measures to terminate the pregnancy. Hien’s family has compensated the girl more than VND120 million ($5,280).

Investigators determined that Hien had signs of committing child rape, which is punishable by life imprisonment or even death. But there is not enough evidence to press charge for now and they will continue the investigation.