KOBE, Jun 22 (News On Japan) –
In the attraction trial of a former teenager accused of killing a highschool scholar 15 years in the past in Kobe, the Osaka High Court rejected the attraction and upheld the preliminary sentence of 18 years in jail.
The former teenager, now 32, was 17 on the time of the crime. In 2010, he fatally stabbed Shota Tsutsumi, then a 16-year-old second-year highschool scholar, on a road in Kita Ward, Kobe.
During the primary trial, performed by a lay decide panel, the previous teenager admitted, “It is true that I stabbed the victim multiple times, but I had no intention to kill.” The protection argued that he lacked full prison duty. However, the Kobe District Court acknowledged each intent to kill and full prison duty, sentencing him to 18 years in jail.
The protection appealed, arguing that the sentence was too harsh. In its ruling on June twentieth, the Osaka High Court dismissed the attraction, stating, “The crime was extremely brutal and driven by an utterly unreasonable motive. Even considering the defendant’s age at the time, the initial sentence cannot be deemed excessively harsh or unjust.”
Shota Tsutsumi’s father, Satoshi Tsutsumi, 66, stated, “I feel relieved. Honestly, I never want him released into society again. But I also feel that this may be the limit of what can be done.”
Meanwhile, the defendant’s lawyer said they’ll talk about with the defendant whether or not to file an additional attraction to the Supreme Court.
Source: YOMIURI