[Judgment] Man Found Guilty of Assaulting Five Children — Court Denounces His Acts as Utterly Inumane

The defendant was charged with four crimes, including non-consensual sexual intercourse resulting in injury

On October 14th, a sentence was handed down to a man who repeatedly threatened and sexually assaulted elementary school girls (at the time of the incident), saying things like “I’ll kill you if you cry.”

Katsu Tomono, a 33-year-old delivery worker from Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, was indicted on four counts: causing injury thru non-consensual sexual acts with A-E, who were 7-11 years old at the time; non-consensual sexual acts; filming sexual acts; and violating the Child Pornography Prohibition Act. He was also charged with filming under a woman’s skirt with his smartphone, which was believed to be an adult, on a separate count of filming sexual acts.

“On October 19, 2024, the Chiba Prefectural Police arrested Defendant Tomono on suspicion of aggravated sexual assault, etc., for allegedly taking Ms. A to the grounds of an abandoned house and sexually assaulting her. The incident came to light after Ms. A’s mother called 110, saying her daughter had been touched by a young man. An investigation, including analysis of security camera footage, led to Defendant Tomono being identified.

And after his arrest, an analysis of videos saved on Defendant Tomono’s smartphone revealed that multiple young girls had been victims. On November 20, 2024, the Chiba Prefectural Police rearrested Mr. B on suspicion of non-consensual sexual intercourse, among other charges, for taking him onto the apartment grounds and sexually assaulting him.” (National newspaper social affairs reporter)

On October 14th, the sentencing hearing for Defendant Tomono was held at the Chiba District Court. Defendant Tomono entered the courtroom wearing a gray suit, a white shirt, and a blue tie. He has a shaved head and is about 165cm tall, but he appears larger due to his broad shoulders. Defendant Tomono bowed his head toward the front. Then, although his figure was hidden by a screen, he deeply bowed his head toward the right side where the victim’s parents were seated before taking his place on the witness stand.

The girls were also left with emotional wounds that may never heal

Presiding Judge Tomofumi Ikeda sentenced the defendant, Tomono, to 24 years in prison (the prosecution had sought 28 years).

The judge explained the reasoning behind the sentence, stating that “the defendant’s sexual perception and way of thinking are severely distorted and deserve strong condemnation.” He went on to say that “the series of crimes trampled on the personality and dignity of each victimized child, deeply instilling fear and causing intense discomfort and humiliation. The acts were extremely malicious.” The judge further noted that “the defendant’s conduct has completely upended the daily lives of the victims and their families.”

At the same time, the judge stated that although “no genuine remorse can be seen,” the court took into consideration the fact that “the defendant admitted to the crimes, expressed words of apology, and has begun treatment for sexual addiction at a specialized clinic as part of efforts toward rehabilitation.”

Despite the consideration given to his rehabilitation efforts, Defendant Tomono sexually assaulted five young girls in about six months. His actions were truly the work of a monster.

He grabbed the girl’s arm and head, took her to a secluded place, threatened to kill her, sexually assaulted her, and even filmed part of the crime on his smartphone. What was even more malicious was that after the crime, he threatened her, saying, “If you tell your dad or mom, I’ll kill you,” to silence her.

The fear they experienced at that time has prevented B and E from confiding in their parents about the incident to this day. E was unable to talk saying, “I don’t want to be reminded of the incident.” B has not been investigated at all due to her parents’ wishes not to be reminded of the incident. Both of them were finally able to identify Tomono as the perpetrator only after their parents cooperated with the police investigation.

How great must be the anger of the parents toward Defendant Tomono, whose actions inflicted wounds that will never heal on the hearts of the young girls, all for the sake of his own desires? The statements from the parents of the victimized girls, read out at the first trial on October 2nd, were filled with anger toward the perpetrator and a strong desire for punishment.

“My daughter was crying, saying, ‘Mama’s going to be killed.’”

“(On the day of the assault) my daughter was crying and said, ‘If I tell anyone what happened, I’ll be killed. Mama will be killed,’” said A’s mother. “Even now, when reports of suspicious people circulate in the neighborhood, she becomes terrified. I believe the trauma of what happened will stay with her for the rest of her life.”

“The fact that my daughter has to live her life carrying such a heavy burden is unbearable,” said B’s father. “This kind of trauma doesn’t just go away. We, the victims, are the ones who have to move and keep running. Why should we be the ones to keep fleeing? If possible, I hope the perpetrator spends the rest of his life in prison.”

“My daughter doesn’t talk about what happened, but whenever we receive alerts about suspicious persons by email, she becomes visibly frightened,” said C’s father. “It’s clear the fear from that time still lingers. No matter what kind of apology the perpetrator offers, we can never forgive him.”

“Before the incident, my daughter loved playing outside, but now she can’t even go for a walk,” said D’s mother. “Before the man was arrested, she would sometimes wake up angry in the middle of the night, saying things like, ‘Why is that guy there?’ Even now, she can’t sleep alone — she still cries and screams during the night.”

“When the police contacted me and I went to the station, they showed me pictures of an elementary school–aged girl and asked, ‘Is this your daughter?’” said E’s mother. “It was her — her face, her clothes. I had no idea she had been the victim of a sexual crime. She couldn’t bring herself to talk about it during questioning, but one day at home she said, ‘Maybe next time, I’ll be able to talk.’ She tried to speak, but after a few halting words, she fell silent and started crying. Since then, we haven’t spoken about it again.”

Despite hearing these heart-wrenching statements from the victims’ families, Tomono maintained silence throughout the trial, never offering testimony about the crimes.

After the verdict was read, Tomono bowed deeply toward the front and to his right—where the victims’ families sat—before returning to his seat, showing no visible emotion.

Though he admitted guilt and offered apologies during the proceedings, he never discussed the incidents themselves. Was he finally realizing the weight of his crimes and seeking rehabilitation as a form of atonement? Or was he simply regretting being caught, not the crimes he committed?

From his blank expression, it was impossible to tell.

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