HCMC teenage gang jailed for robbing French tourist

Truong Quoc Thinh, 18, received seven years in prison for robbery and snatching, as sentenced by the Family and Juvenile Court under the HCMC People’s Court on Monday. It is the harshest sentence for crimes committed by people aged under 16.

Nguyen Chi Cuong, 19, received 7.5 years in prison for robbery. Five others, aged 17-21, received between four to six years in prison.

Thinh said he met Cuong and the rest of the convicts as he wandered around the park near Ben Thanh Market in downtown District 1 back when he was 16. To get money for personal use, Thinh convinced the whole group to go robbing.

On March 25, 2020, Thinh brought a knife and a group member to the park to look for someone to rob. They saw Reigger, a French tourist, walking with her husband in the park, snatched her phone and then escaped.

When Reigger’s husband held them back, Thinh threatened him with a knife, while the other member ran away. Thinh was later apprehended by a patrol group of District 1.

Thinh confessed he had stolen many phones from tourists in the park using the same method.

Thinh’s lawyer said his parents divorced when he was two, and that he was living with his mother. Due to her job, Thinh did not receive the attention he needed, and quit school starting third grade.