Court Confronts Defendant Over Alleged Threat in Non-Consensual Indecency Case
Threatening “Take off your underwear” to steal undergarments
“The daughter was suddenly called out to her by the accused and was terrified that she might be killed. This would not have happened if the accused had suppressed his impulses.”
The fifth trial of defendant Ito Tomohiko (26) held at the Tokyo District Court on August 13th. The mother’s statement of opinion from high school girl A, who was suddenly sexually perpetrated by a man she doesn’t know on the street, was filled with anger towards the accused.
In the subsequent investigation, it was revealed that another high school girl, B (17 years old at the time), had been suffering from the same kind of damage on September 8th, three days before A was the victim. The prosecution has indicted Ito for robbery against Mr. A attempted involuntary indecency against Mr. B.” (National newspaper Social Affairs Department reporter)
At the fifth trial, it was revealed by the defense attorney that Ito was released on bail.
Based on a rehabilitation support plan created by the representative of an NPO that works to support people with disabilities, they are working on treatment for problem behaviors while living in a recovery support facility in the Kanto region. The representative of the NPO appeared as a witness on the defense, and after hearing about his meeting with Ito and his exchanges in court, he stated during the witness questioning that he “feels that he has a strong tendency to develop a developmental disorder.”
A testimony completely different from the interrogation
On June 6, during the third hearing, when questioned by the defense, Ito gave statements that were completely different from what he had said during interrogation. Speaking about the incident involving Victim B, he explained:
“On September 8, I attended a game music event held in Tachikawa. Around 8 p.m., I spotted B at the nearest station. I followed her for no particular reason, and when she went down a less crowded street, I thought I would follow her a little further.
Then, after passing her once, I said, ‘Be quiet and take off your underwear.’ It was the first time I had ever said such a thing, and I don’t remember why I did it—I was flustered. While I was speaking, she ran away, so I ran back the way I had come.”
Regarding the incident with Victim A on September 11, Ito said that he had gone out around 6 p.m. to buy dinner. Explaining why he had vinyl gloves in his shoulder bag at the time, he stated:
“Since I usually don’t get much exercise, I often take detours or walk unfamiliar roads on the way to the supermarket. While walking, I play games on my smartphone, but because my hands sweat, I wore a vinyl glove on my right hand so the phone wouldn’t get sticky.”
According to him, while he was walking and gaming, A passed him from behind. Since they were headed in the same direction, he began following her, and once the street became deserted, he approached her from behind:
“I asked, ‘How old are you? What grade are you in?’ A responded, ‘Why are you asking?’ I said, ‘Just tell me.’ When she repeated, ‘Why?’ I grabbed her right wrist with my left hand, led her toward a residential area, and said, ‘Take off your underwear.’”
When his lawyer asked, “What did you intend to do after having her take them off?” Ito answered:
“I hadn’t really thought about it. I simply wanted to smell them.”
A tried to escape, but Ito chased her, grabbed her bag, and dragged her into a more secluded spot. He continued:
“I made eye contact and said, ‘Take off your underwear.’ Then I added, ‘I won’t hit you or hurt you’ and ‘I won’t do anything terrible or kill you, so just take them off.’ At that point, A took them off herself.”
After receiving the underwear, Ito claimed he smelled them, lifted A’s skirt, and touched her thigh—but insisted he did not touch her genital area.
The defendant repeatedly said, “I don’t remember.”
During cross-examination, prosecutors pressed Ito about statements he had previously given that differed from his courtroom testimony. Regarding the vinyl glove he wore on his right hand, the prosecutor asked:
“In police and prosecutorial interrogations, you explained, ‘I prepared the vinyl glove so fingerprints wouldn’t be left if I touched her body.’ Do you not remember saying that?”
Ito replied only, “I don’t remember.”
The prosecutor then continued:
“In questioning by police and prosecutors, you said, ‘I touched the girl’s thigh and her genitals.’ Are you now denying that?”
Again, Ito answered, “I don’t remember.”
At the fifth hearing, A’s mother’s attorney delivered a statement on behalf of the family. Following her opening words, she read a message filled with strong feelings toward punishment:
“From the perspective of the victim and her family, we cannot wish for the defendant to ever return to society. But since that may not be possible, at the very least I hope he serves long enough that he can truly understand the seriousness of what he has done.”
Closing arguments were then presented. The prosecutor demanded six years in prison, stating:
“The defendant committed these acts solely to satisfy his own sexual desires, disregarding the possibility that he could inflict severe harm on the bodies and minds of A and B, both sexually immature. His decisions must be strongly and severely condemned.”
The defense countered, pointing out signs of developmental disorder in Ito and arguing:
“What Mr. Ito needs is not imprisonment but continued treatment within a supportive environment, to ensure he never commits the same crime again.”
A representative from the NPO that created Ito’s rehabilitation support plan testified:
“The recidivism prevention programs in prison, based on cognitive behavioral therapy, are said to be largely unsuccessful. Serving time may serve as punishment, but it offers very little hope for preventing reoffending.”
The question remains: is rehabilitation alone enough to satisfy the victims and their families? The court is scheduled to hand down its verdict on September 22.
Would you like me to also translate this passage into a shorter news headline style summary in English, like a press article would carry?
PHOTO： Shinji Hasuo (2nd photo)
