A 40-year-old Vietnamese woman named Thao Dang avoided jail after attacking her boyfriend and a neighbor because she got upset seeing them talk to each other. The incident happened on December 16, when she saw her boyfriend, Nicholas Lowe, chatting with neighbor Shannon Jones outside their homes.
Dang became angry and slapped Mr. Lowe across the face. Then she grabbed Ms. Jones by the hair and kicked her. She told police she reacted that way because where she comes from in Vietnam, it’s not normal for women to talk to men like that. She said she didn’t understand Western behavior and found it hard to deal with.
In court, it was revealed that Dang had a history of violent behavior. She already had several previous convictions, including for attacking Mr. Lowe before. Still, instead of going to prison, she was sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work and given a restraining order to stay away from Ms. Jones. She was also ordered to pay £120 in compensation to Ms. Jones at a rate of £5 per week because of her financial difficulties.
During the court hearing at Warrington Magistrates Court, a judge warned her that this was a legal obligation, not a charity — if she couldn’t pay, she must inform the court.
Ms. Jones said the assault made her feel scared and anxious, and she no longer felt safe going outside her own home.
The attack reportedly started when Dang thought Ms. Jones was getting too close to Mr. Lowe while talking to him. She went inside, became visibly upset, and started hitting herself.
Later, during a struggle, she pulled Ms. Jones’ hair and kicked her. Afterwards, she went to Mr. Lowe and slapped him, blaming her emotions from what she had seen.
Dang gave a statement saying she was just arriving home when she noticed Ms. Jones talking to her partner, even standing close to him while he was trying to open the front door.
In court, her lawyer said that while her actions were wrong, her lack of understanding of the English language and British culture contributed to the way she reacted. He said she was raised in a very different environment and didn’t fully grasp how to handle conflict in the UK.
He added that Dang is currently unemployed, doesn’t receive any government support, and is relying on friends for housing and basic needs. She’s waiting to be placed in council housing with her partner and is willing to work with the probation service to change her behavior.
