An Obscene College Student Who Solicited Runaway Junior High School Girls on Social Networking Sites

When are you leaving home?

I’ll let you stay over.

The man is said to have sent such invitations to a girl who posted on a social networking service. Is there anyone who can let me stay over?

 

On January 22, the Metropolitan Police Department’s Juvenile Development Division arrested Yuro Sugihara, 22, a third-year student at a private university in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, on suspicion of demanding a visit for indecent purposes. This crime was newly established in July last year, making it a punishable offense to meet or request a visit from a boy or girl under the age of 16 for indecent purposes. This is the first time in Japan that a person who has actually visited a girl has been arrested.

The alleged incident occurred in late October of last year. A junior high school girl who had run away from home posted on a social networking service, “Is there anyone who can let me stay over? Sugihara sent her a message saying, “I’ll let you stay over, so let’s meet up.

The two met at a train station near Sugihara’s home in Ota City, Tokyo, where Sugihara was living at the time for an internship. Sugihara knew that Ms. A was under 16 years of age, and is said to have committed indecent acts such as touching her at home and at a hotel, said a reporter from the society section of a national newspaper.

When Sugihara went out, Ms. A ran away from the room. She called for help from the police, and the Kamata Police Station of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department took her into custody, and the incident was discovered.

The suspect was probably trying to cover up the crime. He apparently instructed Ms. A to delete her social networking messages, such as “I want to run away from home” and “I’ll let you stay here”. The suspect has denied the charges and made the following statement to the police: “I did not meet her for the purpose of indecent assault. I just wanted to help a girl who was struggling with her parent-child relationship.

The police are investigating to see if Sugihara is guilty of any other crimes.