HANOI - TWO Vietnamese police officers have been jailed for
helping a woman on death row become pregnant so she would not have
to face the firing squad, a court official said yesterday.
The Hoa Binh City Court found them guilty of abusing their power by
letting her have sex with an inmate to exploit a law that says
pregnant women and mothers of children under three years old cannot
be put to death.
Nguyen Thuyen, 31, was sentenced to five years in jail, while Bui
Van Quyet, 23, was sentenced to 3-1/2 years.
'It was the most unusual case I have ever seen,' court official
Hoang Thuy Linh said of Wednesday's sentencing. 'Many people came
to the trial out of curiosity.'
Nguyen Thi Oanh, 40, was sentenced to death in 2005 for drug
trafficking. The sentence was reduced to life in prison after she
became pregnant last year. The death sentence will not be reapplied
when her son turns three.
The policemen confessed to accepting a bribe of 1.5 million dong
(S$135) from her family.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
