A VIETNAMESE refugee who made a bomb to kill a man who allegedly attempted to rape a family member and who also printed £250,000 in forged £20 notes has been given a three year suspended sentence.
Thanh Hung Truong was trained by the US military in bomb making, Judge Cyril Kelly was told at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday. Det Garda David Pollard said Truong also gave gardai a video he secretly made of a man attempting to sexually assault a family member.
Truong (47), a father of six, of Primrose Grove, Darndale, pleaded guilty to having an explosive device with intent to endanger life and to attempting to forge currency notes on June 13th, 1995. He had no previous convictions.
Det Garda Pollard told Mr Shane Murphy, prosecuting, he searched Truong's house after getting confidential information. Unfinished £20 notes were found, in a telephone directory. More notes, a colour photocopier, and other equipment for making counterfeit notes were found in the attic.
The explosive device was discovered in a coal bunker. Truong at first denied knowledge of the device but then revealed he made it to kill a man who had allegedly attempted to rape a family member.
Det Garda Pollard said Truong told gardai he lived on social welfare most of the time since he arrived in Ireland in 1979. He had been chairman of the Vietnam Ireland Association for a time. Troung said he saw the potential of using the photocopier to make, easy money.
"The fronts of the notes found by gardai were unfinished. Det Garda Pollard said the quality of the work done was very high and included the metal foil and watermark. They were as good as any counterfeit notes he had seen.
He agreed with Mr Luigi Rea, defending, that in Vietnamese culture the alleged sexual assault would have been dealt with inside the family in a very serious way. The paper used by Truong to print the notes was the same used by a fastfood business to wrap chips and the watermark stamp was made with a cucumber. The notes were never distributed.
Det Garda Pollard said the bomb was made from petrol, match heads and cut up table tennis balls. Garda forensic experts could not explain the role of the table tennis balls. There was also a golf ball to make the device explode. He wasn't sure if Truong, could have carried out the killing.
Judge Kelly praised Det Garda Pollard for his fair presentation. Truong should also thank him for his belief that a custodial sentence, should not be imposed. It was common in certain cases that sexual assaults were pleaded as a factor in other offences. The prosecuting authorities rarely had a video recording giving substance to the allegation.
Judge Kelly said a probation report recorded that Truong was a boat person who fled Vietnam in 1979. He had not come adversely to Garda notice before the case. There was a minimal chance of him reoffending.
He imposed three year sentences on both charges but suspended them on Truong entering into a bond to keep the peace for five years.