The Vietnamese man assaulted by Mark Wahlberg in 1988 has forgiven the actor for the unprovoked attack.
It’s been widely speculated that Johnny Trinh was blinded during the brutal assault – which led to Wahlberg, now 43, spending 45 days in jail – but the victim has revealed he was already blind in his left eye after fighting in the Vietnam War.
He said: "I was not blinded by Mark Wahlberg. He did hurt me, but my left eye was already gone. He was not responsible for that."
What’s more, Trinh said he was happy for Wahlberg to be given a pardon – which he recently applied for – pointing out that the incident occurred a long time ago and that he didn’t deserve for it to harm his reputation.
He told the MailOnline website: "I would like to see him get a pardon. He should not have the crime hanging over him any longer. He paid for his crime when he went to prison. I am not saying that it did not hurt when he punched me in the face, but it was a long time ago."
The war veteran also revealed he was not aware of Wahlberg’s superstar status, having appeared in films such as ‘The Fighter’ and ‘The Departed’.
Trinh said: "He has grown up now. I am sure he has his own family and is a responsible man."
Wahlberg – who is married to fashion model Rhea Durham, with whom he has four children, Ella Rae, 11, Michael Robert, eight, Brendan Joseph, six, and four-year-old Grace Margaret – has written to the Governor of Massachusetts seeking a criminal pardon, saying he is now a model citizen.
Mark Wahlberg’s assault victim forgives actor
