Brute jailed for attacking wife appeals his sentence

A THUG who subjected his wife to a brutal attack at their Tayside home is appealing his jail term.

Anh Vuong was locked up for 42 months in October 2016 for repeatedly assaulting the woman at their flat in Perth city centre.

Lawyers acting for Vuong’s have lodged an appeal against his sentence at the Court of Criminal Appeal.

He admitted assaulting his wife in November 2015 by slapping her on the head, kicking and punching her on the body, dragging her across the floor, pinning her on a bed and restricting her breathing.

Vuong, who was born in Vietnam, had a not guilty plea accepted at Perth Sheriff Court to a second charge of repeatedly striking a door at their High Street flat with a knife, smashing through it and repeatedly threatening to kill her. The 48-year-old also denied maliciously stabbing at a glass door with the blade, damaging it.

The court previously heard Vuong repeatedly shouted “I’m going to kill you” during the assault, which was said to have lasted about 30 minutes.

It was interrupted only after neighbours complained about “banging and thumping” noises coming from their home.

Fiscal depute Rebecca Kynaston said Vuong had been checking his wife’s mobile phone and had called two of her friends.

Ms Kynaston said: “When the accused came off the phone, he entered the kitchen and starting slapping his wife repeatedly on the face.

“The slaps were hard and her vision became disturbed and blurred.

“He then kicked her on the body before holding her down and attempting to suffocate her by compressing her throat while holding her nose.”

When police arrived at the flat, they found her “physically distressed, dishevelled and crying”.

The woman suffered injuries to her right cheek, neck, left ear and nose, as well as bruising and swelling.

Vuong’s solicitor Billy Somerville said alcohol had played a part in the incident.

When passing sentence, Sheriff Lindsay Foulis said: “Once hands are placed round necks and pressure applied, then it doesn’t take much to move from injury to fatality.

“In my view, custody is the only realistic disposal.”

Vuong will learn his fate at the Court of Criminal Appeal next week.