44-Year-Old Man Who Enticed 13-Year-Old Girl to Hotel With Offer of Drugs Tells Court He Acted Out of Loneliness

A girl who contacted us saying, “I want some cough medicine,”

“If you take the drug, you’ll become invincible. Let’s become invincible together.”

A 44-year-old man who had sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl at the time had sent this message to lure her out.

“On March 15, ’26, the Honjo Police Station of the Saitama Prefectural Police arrested Kengo Shimura (44), a private investor from Toshima Ward, Tokyo, on suspicion of kidnapping a minor. Shimura is suspected of luring Ms. A (then 13), whom he met on social media, by sending her a message saying, ‘I have cough medicine. I’ll give it to you if you come,’ then putting her in the car he was driving and taking her to a hotel, thereby kidnapping her. Shimura reportedly admitted to the charges.

Then, on March 25, he was re-arrested on suspicion of non-consensual sexual intercourse and other charges for having sexual intercourse with A at a hotel in Honjo City, knowing she was under 16 years of age. Shimura reportedly denied the charges, stating, ‘I don’t remember that.'” (Social Affairs Reporter, National Newspaper)

The sentencing hearing for Defendant Shimura, who faces two charges—kidnapping a minor and non-consensual sexual intercourse—is scheduled for June 23. With that in mind, let’s look back at the trial so far.

According to the indictment read by the prosecutor and the opening statement, the two met after Ms. A contacted Defendant Shimura via social media, where he had posted comments such as “It feels good to take drugs” regarding cough suppressant pills.

Defendant Shimura lured her out by sending messages containing phrases like those mentioned above, as well as statements such as, “If you come, I’ll give you a present. Walking around town while feeling a little wobbly (after taking the pills) is the best.” He then allegedly took her to a hotel in his own car without her guardian’s permission and had sexual intercourse with her. Defendant Shimura admitted to the charges, stating, “That is correct.”

Defendant Shimura explained the reason he created the account related to cough medicine as follows.

“I think I was just lonely.”

“I started posting about a month before the incident. I have a sleep disorder, and since I had trouble falling asleep, I was taking cough suppressants. While I took them to help me sleep, I also enjoyed the dizzy, drunken-like feeling they gave me, so I posted about that.”

He then met with Ms. A, who had contacted him saying, “I want some cough medicine,” and took her to a hotel where they had sex; however, he claimed that his memory of what happened after they entered the hotel was hazy.

“After we got to the hotel, I took about 10 pills from one strip of cough medicine, and I also took sleeping pills and drank alcohol. I remember thinking it was a bit too strong. After that, my memory is fragmented. I don’t remember having sex, but I can’t say for certain that we didn’t.”

When the prosecutor asked, “Although it was wrong, wouldn’t it have been enough to just give her the cough medicine?” Defendant Shimura replied, “We talked it over and decided to take the drugs together,” adding, “I think we ended up having sex as things just unfolded from there.”

When the prosecutor further asked, “What’s the point of taking them together?” he replied, “I think I was feeling lonely. Maybe I just wanted to meet someone.”

The incident came to light when Ms. A’s mother checked her smartphone’s location data and reported it to the police, saying, “She said she was meeting a friend, but the location data shows she’s moving too fast—it looks like she’s in a car.”

“The doorbell rang, so I thought it was room service. When I opened the door, the police were there,” said defendant Shimura.

A was taken into protective custody at the hotel by the police officers who rushed to the scene. At that moment, defendant Shimura reportedly immediately hid the sex toy he had brought with him.

During the trial, the victim’s attorney read aloud a written statement from A’s mother.

Prosecutors seek 5 years in prison

It is said that when Ms. A was in elementary school, she was unable to attend school due to interpersonal issues. While she remained in a state of emotional instability, she took a large number of cough suppressants and attempted suicide by cutting her wrists. Since then, she has been attending a psychiatric clinic for counseling and has been taking tranquilizers.

Her anger toward the defendant, Shimura, was expressed as follows:

“The defendant may eventually be able to return to his former life, but for my daughter, the fact that she was victimized will never disappear. My daughter, who was already mentally vulnerable, may take a long time to regain her daily life. I hope the defendant receives the harshest possible punishment and seriously confronts what he has done.”

In his closing argument, the prosecutor described the crime as sophisticated, despicable, and malicious. He stated, “The crime—in which the defendant suggested the use of drugs to a minor and took advantage of her curiosity—is an utterly outrageous and extremely malicious act,” and sought a five-year prison sentence.

On the other hand, the defense attorney argued, “Neither the abduction of a minor nor the non-consensual sexual intercourse case involved assault or coercion; therefore, among similar cases, these fall into a category of relatively low severity,” and “The defendant has pledged to stop the off-label use of drugs, such as overdosing,” adding, “For this case alone, a suspended sentence should be handed down.”

They also cited the fact that, although no settlement had been reached, a substantial amount of compensation had been paid to the victim as one of the reasons why a mitigated sentence should be applied.

However, Ms. A’s mother stated in her written statement, “Although I have received compensation from the defendant, I cannot forgive him, and my desire for a severe punishment remains unchanged.”

Defendant Shimura repeatedly said he felt lonely. Although this was not mentioned during the trial, his continued posts on social media about cough suppressants may have been an attempt to find others who had overdosed.

What kind of verdict will the court hand down on the 23rd?