The house of a former high-ranking procuracy official in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang has been smeared with paints and dirty substances following his alleged molestation of a young girl.

Family members of Nguyen Huu Linh, who retired as deputy head of the Da Nang People’s Procuracy last year, woke up on Friday to see a large text reading ‘child sex abuse’ painted on their house’s metal fence gate, while dirty substances were scattered on the grounds.

Linh, 61, is at the center of a nationwide outrage after he was identified as the man seen grabbing and kissing a young girl inside an apartment elevator in a video that went viral online earlier this week.

His family has repainted the gate and reported the vandalism to local police.

According to Le Cao, a member of the Da Nang Bar Association, Linh will be punished in accordance with the law if police gather sufficient evidence of his alleged molestation.

“But his family is not involved in the case, and causing material, physical and mental damage to them is not only inadvisable but also punishable by the law,” the lawyer underlined.

“Offenders can be subject to an administrative fine or face criminal charges if the damaged asset is worth more than VND2 million [US$86].”

The alleged molestation took place at the Galaxy 9 Apartment Complex in District 4, Ho Chi Minh City, when Linh was alone in the elevator with the young girl, thought to be somewhere between five and seven years old.

He was visiting a relative who lives at Galaxy 9 on the day of the incident.

Police officers were able to identify Linh as the man in the CCTV footage, but not before he had already returned to Da Nang.

Linh was in Ho Chi Minh City again on Wednesday following a police request to cooperate with an investigation into the incident.

Phap Luat Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh (Ho Chi Minh City Law) newspaper, a media outlet under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Justice, reported on the same day that Linh had confirmed he was the man in the CCTV footage.

Phap Luat quoted the ex-procuracy official as saying that he was just “petting the young girl” and refused to provide further information.

The Ho Chi Minh City police department confirmed on Wednesday that officers are collecting statements from the victim, suspect, and relevant individuals and will make an announcement once a conclusion is reached.

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