A court in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday handed a prison term of 18 months to a former Vietnamese procuracy official found guilty of molesting a child inside an elevator in April.
Nguyen Huu Linh, a retired procuracy official from the central city of Da Nang, grabbed and kissed a young girl, reported to be seven years old, inside an elevator at the Galaxy 9 apartment building in Ho Chi Minh City on April 1, CCTV footage showed.
Linh, 61, was visiting a relative in the apartment building in District 4 on the day of the incident.
Although Linh’s back was turned to the camera, obscuring his left hand which was positioned in front of the young girl, judges decided it was enough evidence to convict him of molesting an under-16-year-old person and sentenced the ex-official to 18 months behind bars for the crime.
The crime carries a maximum prison term of three years, according to the Penal Code of Vietnam.
Linh appealed the court ruling immediately after the trial, insisting that his action did not constitute child molestation, his attorney Tran Ba Hoc said.
Source: Tuoitrenews