A man who stabbed his wife while she was sleeping because he believed she was having an affair has been jailed for a minimum of 19 years.
Hai Van Nguyen stabbed mother-of-three Hien Thi Vu, 44, multiple times with a kitchen knife at their home in Hatfield Close in New Cross Gate, south-east London, on 13 April.
The 42-year-old, who admitted manslaughter but denied murder, was convicted of the more serious charge on Monday after a trial at Woolwich Crown Court.
Sentencing Nguyen to life, Judge Andrew Lees said the three children had “lost their loving mother”. In a victim impact statement read out to the court, Hien Thi’s oldest son said he was “heartbroken, angry and confused”.
‘So violent’
He added: “It still doesn’t feel real that our mum is gone and the way we lost her has left a deep wound.
“I keep trying to understand how someone who was meant to protect her could do something so violent… Most of all I feel a huge sense of loss.
“Mum was the person who held our family together and her absence is felt every single day. Nothing feels the same without her.”
In another victim impact statement read out by prosecuting barrister Nadeem Holland KC, Hien Thi’s oldest daughter said she lived with anxiety every day, “even in my own home”.
“My anxiety is driven by a fear that there is someone that intends to harm me. I check every corner, close every door and open closed curtains to see if there is something or someone there.”
Metropolitan PoliceDuring the seven-day trial, Nguyen, who spoke through a Vietnamese interpreter, said he had grown jealous over the months leading up to the attack as he believed his wife had been unfaithful.
In the hours before the stabbing, he had made her access the TfL app to prove her movements to and from church and her place of work, a nail salon in south-east London.
At about 06:00 BST on 13 April, he stabbed his wife at least five times before leaving the house to go to Lewisham police station where he was arrested the same day, the court heard.
Nguyen told the court he had been “controlled by the devil” and had “lost control”, highlighting a head injury he said he sustained after a motorcycle accident 25 years ago.
Det Insp Stephanie Dexter, who led the investigation, said in a statement: “This is a tragic case and our thoughts remain with the couple’s three children who are grieving for the sudden loss of their mother.”
She added: “Our commitment to tackling violence against women and girls is unwavering and we would encourage victims to reach out to police or other support agencies to seek help.
“We will respond with sensitivity, and we will work with you to provide the appropriate support, whilst keeping you safe and dealing robustly with the perpetrator.”
