A Vietnamese high school principal was sentenced to nine years in prison for having sex with eight schoolgirls in a high-profile sex scandal, the presiding judge said on Friday.
Sam Duc Xuong, was convicted at Thursday's one-day trial of having sex with the students aged 13 to 18, with most encounters occurring in his office at Viet Lam High School in Northern Ha Giang province, said Presiding Judge Mai Van Hung.
Hung said Xuong paid the schoolgirls and used his power as a principal to force them to have sex with him in exchange for higher grades for a year until September 2009.
The case, which attracted extensive coverage in the state-controlled media, was uncovered in 2009 when the family of one of the victims reported it to police.
Thanh Nien newspaper reported that security at the trial, which was closed to the public, was tight with about 50 police officers with dogs deployed. Roads leading to the court building were closed.