crime

Woman attempting to rob convenience store asks clerk to call police

30 Comments

Remember the bank robber who waited on the sofa at the request of his “victim” tellers? He may have competition for most polite criminal with a 23-year-old woman from the rural town of Noto.

In fact, her attempt at armed robbery of a convenience store was so gentle police are currently unsure what charges they can press.

Around 8 p.m. on the evening of Jan 5, a woman burst into the Circle K convenience store brandishing a large blade like a kitchen knife.

“Give me all the money” she demanded of the clerk.

Apparently sensing this lady didn’t mean business, the clerk decided to flat out lie and said “there is no money.”

The woman, caught off guard by this sudden new development, quickly lost the heart for crime and dejectedly requested the clerk to “call the police, please.”

The clerk accepted and called 110 to which the police promptly responded and came to arrest the young woman. Upon her arrest, the woman confessed saying that she simply wanted some money.

Taking this story at face value, it would seem that the woman lost her nerve and folded under the pressure of threatening people.

According to reports, as of this writing, police are carefully investigating the details of this incident including whether or not the woman’s actions qualify for attempted robbery charges.

It begs an interesting dilemma on where to draw the line of “attempted robbery.” If someone in a full body cast tells another person to hand over their money, technically they are attempting to rob that person. However, should they be charged with a felony?

Holding the knife would seem qualify her to be charged but based on the clerk’s reaction she apparently didn’t present any threat in spite of her weapon. It’s a dilly of a pickle.

Source: News 24 via My Game News Flash

Read more stories on RocketNews24. -- Most Patient Bank Robber Ever Arrested in Fukuoka -- Japanese Man Arrested For Attempted Extortion of Sex and Songs -- Man Enters Woman’s Apartment, Demands Underwear at Knife-point

© RocketNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

30 Comments
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It’s a dilly of a pickle.

No it's not! She came in with intent, had a weapon, demanded money. It's a robbery gone wrong. If she held the knife to someone and then ask for money that was not there and did not get the money, would it be different?

7 ( +11 / -4 )

The article seems to be a flippant response to what might have been a serious problem. I know it might be funny now, but I think articles taking this stance on this type of problem should be discouraged.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

Only in Japan. I'm just glad no one got hurt.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The interpretation is simple. The police decided to go soft on this woman and so they are seeing the whole incident as a "misunderstanding". If it was an American woman, it would go on Top News and cited as another example of violence and aggression. This is what all Japan is about, extreme bias and ridiculous justification ...

-7 ( +4 / -11 )

My first reaction upon reading the title : Maybe she has no place to go and needs a nice warm prison cell ? But then she says she just wanted some money... Since they don't mention "of no fixed abode" does she live alone ? Loneliness can lead to all sorts of "strange" behaviour.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

She's an amateur, that much is certain. The reason it wasn't a robbery is because the clerk used a tactic she wasn't prepared for (seemingly almost anything would have worked) and ended her dreams of walking away with some easy loot. She should still be charged because she brandished a weapon and it could very easily have escalated.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

It sounds like she just needed some attention. Is she single? Married? Children? Unfortunately sometimes these people who want attention do far worse than a mock robbery. Thumbs up to the convini staff who was cool as a cucumber!

2 ( +4 / -2 )

"Only in Japan" yeah cause its weird over there. people are going psyco. anyways i would arrest her and charge her. who cares if she was polite! lol! she had a freakn knife! -__- tooo soft over there

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

only in Japan because there are no guns here. Which is why I live here

7 ( +7 / -0 )

They should charge her with a lesser crime something along the lines of "creating a public disturbance" or "brandishing a weapon in public" I wouldn't charge her with attempted arm robbery for the simple fact that clerk didn't feel threaten at all by her and would most likely testify that he never felt she would do any harm to him. Any decent lawyer would get her charge thrown out. She more than likely has no prior arrest record of any kind. It would be a waste of time to charge someone who without her request wouldn't have been arrested in the first place.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

young and desperate .. i blame the brand stuff.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

meaning...the clerk said there is no money. and she walks out and he doesnt bother to call anybody. Obviously she wants help

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I'm getting tired of having to point out those trying to "advertise" in this forum... The mods are VERY quick to "remove" posts they think are "off topic" but not so quick with those trying to advertise their wares...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Fortunately for her she didn't try to rob a convenience store in any one of a number of states in the USA or the clerk would have done a dirty Harry on her.

and yes FightingVikingJan. 09, 2013 - 12:42PM JST

why do the Moderators jump in so quickly when they think you are off topic, but allow the sales?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

aww

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It seems like a cry for help. -and maybe she did start crying when there was no money to be found. Not all crimes have a happy ending it seems. I wonder what her parents think of her short-lived career.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Well how long was the blade? Its illegal to carry a blade over a certain length in Japan is it not? I thought there was an American tourist who got locked up for ages as he was carrying a blade that was legal length in the US but not here?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

in answer to my own question wiki says....

Any fixed knife containing a blade length of 5.9 inches or more requires permission from the prefectural public safety commission in order to possess. Permission requirements also apply to any type of pocket knife over 2.2 inches (including Automatic Knives), spears over 5.9 inches in blade length, and Japanese halberds.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Not too sure about Japan but here it would still be attempted robbery, there was an element of planning involved. The fact that the clerk bluffed and she didn't get away with anything would be taken into consideration by the judge when she's convicted...

Only in Japan this one I think!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Sounds like the kind of robber for whom rehabilitation might still work well.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

To be fair, they haven't decided NOT to charge her. She's still at risk for being charged with attempted armed robbery.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Any fixed knife containing a blade length of 5.9 inches or more requires permission from the prefectural public safety commission in order to possess.

=That means any kitchen/chef knife needs to be registered. (are you kidding me)

http://law.e-gov.go.jp/htmldata/S33/S33HO006.html

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Flaw.e-gov.go.jp%2Fhtmldata%2FS33%2FS33HO006.html&act=url

Sometimes Kanji fonts I cannot post here? -What am I doing wrong? = could not post the Kanji link.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/銃砲刀剣類所持等取締法

Kanji shows on my Mac, but when I post I get the above.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

=It does show when you submit, but in preview it will show: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%u9283%u7832%u5200%u5263%u985E%u6240%u6301%u7B49%u53D6%u7DE0%u6CD5

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Police can press charges for attempted robbery and for caring a deadly weapon without permit. Remember when they arrested for 10 days that 70something year old grandpa tourist from USA, when he declared he was caring a pocket knife?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Jeez, some of you blokes are kidding, aren't you? Take her in, give her a hug and a hot drink and show a bit of compassion for someone clearly in a bind who had neither the intent, nor the ability to hurt anyone else. Common sense required, me thinks.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

aww shes so cute and domicile, lets give her a medal instead

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Weird.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

She absolutely did not want to rob the store that is obvious she wanted to go to jail and be punished as she is depressed, a sort of form of killing of self. I went to prison for 10 years and met many criminals, this makes me an expert. Some people in prison can not handle outside world and commit crimes to go back and not to actually commit the crimes (this is called extreme Institutionalization). Some people commit suicide by confronting police in the USA and police are happy to shot them saying they were a danger.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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