The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court has announced a death penalty to a young boss of a machete gang in HCMC, while giving jail terms to his accomplices.

Accordingly, the court sentenced 20-year-old Ho Duy Truc to death for leading the gang to commit attacks on at least 13 people in HCMC using machetes to rob their vehicles and belongings, within a 6-month period in 2012.

Seven accomplices of Truc got jail terms, lasting from 6 months to 20 years.

The board of judges said Truc and his accomplices’ acts “terrified the public”, and the death sentence for Truc was based on his “dangerous and inhumane acts”, though a life sentence for the young man has previously been sought by prosecutors.

The “dangerous and inhumane acts” reminded the public of the last assault the gang committed on November 24, 2012.

They were caught on that night after an attempt to rob a Honda SH scooter from 29-year-old Nguyen Thi Thuy when she was driving over the Phu My Bridge in HCMC’s District 2.

Truc and 3 others, including Tran Van Luong (25), Nguyen Hoang Phuong (20), and Huynh Thanh Son (31), tried to approach Thuy from behind.

Truc then used his machete, measuring 50 cm in length, to hack twice at Thuy's right wrist, leaving Thuy seriously wounded with two parts of her hand hanging together only by the skin.

As Thuy cried out loud for help, passers-by rushed in, making the 4 flee the scene without her vehicle.

Police then caught the four at a hotel in Binh Chanh District, and arrested the whole gang soon afterwards.