OSAKA, Nov 29 (News On Japan) –
A 35-year-old father, Takahiro Imanishi, was acquitted by the Osaka High Court on November twenty eighth after being sentenced to 12 years in jail for the demise of his 2-year-old stepdaughter, Noa.
The court docket overturned the decrease court docket’s ruling, citing inadequate proof of bodily abuse or exterior accidents, and deemed the preliminary judgment unreasonable.
Imanishi had been accused of inflicting deadly head accidents on Noa of their Osaka condo in 2017. While prosecutors argued the case concerned shaken child syndrome (SBS), the protection claimed her demise was as a consequence of myocarditis, an irritation of the guts. The trial additionally underscored scientific debates surrounding SBS, which has seen a number of acquittals in related instances since 2018.
Released on bail earlier this yr after 11 prior requests had been denied, Imanishi endured over 5 years in detention. Following the decision, he expressed reduction, stating, “The verdict says ‘not guilty,’ but I am ‘innocent.’ Fighting to prove the truth was worth it.”
The Osaka High Public Prosecutor’s Office introduced it might rigorously evaluate the judgment earlier than deciding its subsequent plan of action.