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A 32-year-old man who stabbed a neighbor, while he was under the influence of hallucinogenic herbs in December 2014, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison by the Tokyo District Court on Friday.
According to the court ruling, Katsuhiko Tanaka broke into the apartment of his nextdoor neighbor in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward at around 7 a.m. and slashed her with a knife, Fuji TV reported.
The woman broke free and called 110. After his arrest, Tanaka admitted to police that he had inhaled a "dangerous drug," the term given by law enforcement authorities to refer to hallucinogenic herbs.
The woman sustained 11 cuts to her face and hands.
Police said Tanaka was rambling but when they searched his apartment, they found an empty packet which he told them had contained herbs, the court heard.
© Japan Today
20 Comments
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erbaviva
what a lenient sentence...stab someone and this is what you get.
wildwest
Throw away the key.
toshiko
beside drug use, invasion to private property, 11 attempted murders
Haaa Nemui
2.5 years? Usually I'm not so quick to have a go at the justice system but 2.5 years for this crime is a joke.
SenseNotSoCommon
Ridiculous sentence. Shame on the judge!
Wc626
2 1/2 years? What a joke! Hope the victim files a civil lawsuit and drains this guy for his money.
A.N. Other
I'd be checking this judges pocket for herbs, but then Japanese law is famously inconsistent, except the bit about where they bang you up after being arrested.
I have to say that common law jusridictions wouldn't buy herb use as a mitigating factor (which must have been the case here, given the leniency). I don't see how this is not murder, especially given his past form - he should be looking at 25 years+
Haaa Nemui
Victim never died... but attempted murder yes. Not sure what you mean about past form though?
A.N. Other
Saturday morning hangover. I confused this article with another I had been reading.
I'm glad no-one died. My point about locking him up still stands, though!
Haaa Nemui
Totally hearing ya and agreeing.
clueless
Seems pretty clear cut (no pun)…why has it taken so long to go to court?
khulifi
2.5 years for this crime is a big joke that encourage more crimes
Citizen2012
More and more Japanese stabbing each others, recently...a few days ago only for hiding a smartphone, judges should really take this trend seriously.
DaDude
2.5 years for him but the woman gets a life sentence in physical and psychological damage. He should be forced to pay after for everything this woman will have to go through for the rest of his life.
Steve Crichton
Wow thats not very long for stabbing and slashing somebody with a knife. They must have considered the herb a mitigating factor.
TheGodfather
@DaDude "the woman gets a life sentence in physical and psychological damage"
There isn't really much more to say... :-(
Sarunghakan Feng
It's not the length of how many years criminals should stay in prison. It's the severity of (said) treatment does the prisoner get in the prison.
Is there a little more... specification on what "kind" of "hallucinogenic" drug is being used? He might've really gone past the line to murder someone just being "toxicated" with that. Must've been a mix, obviously...but this case really does sound like a "grudge" type of thing.
wowyz
Man "on drugs" stabbed neighbor So much for "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" here.
Monozuki
In Japanese media, the man is portrayed as a cuckoo who raised a queer voice shortly after his arrest like しぇしぇしぇのしぇ being described somewhat caricaturally. I mean it would have been possible that he would be found not guilty for the act he committed by reason of insanity.
Mirai Hayashi
nearly killing a person only gets you 2 1/2 years....geez!