Serial groper apprehended through computer profiling

Yuck.

Chalk one up for the keystones.

"On the date in question, Tanaba rode up on a bicycle behind an 18-year-old student and grabbed her breasts from behind. " Grabbing her breasts - This guy is bold !!!! I thought he was touching or rubbing buttocks. What kind of guy is this ?

Good policework in this case. Hat's off

I wouldn't want to eat any food that he made, especially since we know where his hands have been.

But in all seriousness, why can't the creeps who do this or even just the ones who get off on the idea understand that it is WRONG? No one wants to feel violated, and what gives you the right to do that to another human being? It makes me so sick.

About time someone did something about these creeps. 1 down many more to go.

Very nice. Nice nerd action. More nerds please. The complexity of the problem is great and it relies on a key assumption: that they were all done by one person. That information might have come from accurate descriptions and reports by victims.

It is a good tool. If women report, then these guys can be caught, and every report counts now. That is the important lesson.

I hope that police use this type of information from crime reports more and use generally intrusive measures less. Compulsive criminals are the most dangerous and the most likely to show patterns. Having this information down to the point of prediction also makes prosecution more effective.

They need to fund this programmer.

I have also computer profiles for some stalkers and perverts. Now off to the police. Police are doing great job in catching the criminals!!! I applaud their efforts. I think for such people Iranian stoning laws are good. But as I am against death penalty, life in prison is enough. Such horrendous crimes should be appropriately punished.

"On the date in question, Tanaba rode up on a bicycle behind an 18-year-old student and grabbed her breasts from behind."

He did this while on a bicycle??

Seriously, though, good on the police. Amazing that a person is not only perverted enough to grope people, but stupid enough to do it at a regular time and predictable locations.

I agree with Klein2...every report counts..it is a disgusting feeling to have someone touch you in a way that is unapropriate. I can remember once in a store I was maybe 11 yrs old, an older man passed by and brushed my behind with his arm, and said oh sorry, since I wasn't sure it was an accident or not I let it go, but the feeling It gave me was disgusting... Every woman and man has a right to feel safe walking the streets or wherever they may go without worrying about some sicko touching them.

Glad to know that the police really are doing something to stop such crime but I wonder, too...they have spent over a year trying to catch this guy and he is only arrested 'under prefectural nuisance prevention laws' which sounds like all he will get is a slap on the wrist and a fine.

Amazing that a person is not only perverted enough to grope people, but stupid enough to do it at a regular time and predictable locations.

He will be even stupider to grope me. He will be dead.

smithinjapan at 03:14 PM JST - 9th July

"On the date in question, Tanaba rode up on a bicycle behind an 18-year-old student and grabbed her breasts from behind." He did this while on a bicycle??

Yeah, I couldn't figure that one out either... maybe he mastered the art of riding with no hands.

I liked seeing this article though you know; seeing the cops be successful once in a while. Sort of sad though, that all the JT posters who are always complaining about the J-cops haven't commented here yet. There's a million comments when the J-cops screw up, but there's only 12 so far (on this thread) when they succeed.

If women report, then these guys can be caught, and every report counts now. That is the important lesson.

However reporting to police is a little embarassing because the police wants you to describe in detail the nature of the groping and to show them what the perpetrator did to you. How do you describe or show to the police officer this?

PS I recommend all the women to revenge the gropers.

My wife has had her breasts groped scant meters from my house by a junior high school boy and when I reported it to the keystones they just yawned and wanted to know how well-endowed she was. Great police-work !

"Tanaba rode up on a bicycle behind an 18-year-old student and grabbed her breasts"

This guy should be performing in a circus. That is, should have been performing in a circus. He could still do it after his punishment.

"I think for such people Iranian stoning laws are good."

Good grief, having stones thrown at your face and chest until you're dead for grabbing breasts? I'd hate to hear your punishment for rape.

The kid needs to be slapped upside the head, made to apologize to the student, and made to do her laundry and anything else she needs doing, no wait, he'd probably dawdle with her unwashed laundry for too long, heck, make him do whatever she wants ( within reason ) for a few weeks.

Not sure how old you are, Sarge, but I'm 50 and even I don't consider a 31-year-old to be a "kid".

The only question I have about the police work was the timing. They staked the place out which I assume means they had officers at the scene at the time of the assault, yet they still didn't arrest him until a month later?!?

I think for such people Iranian stoning laws are good. But as I am against death penalty, life in prison is enough.

You should be sure what 'stoning' is, and please don't become a judge

Traditonal stoning was different(according to my jewish history teacher).

Condemned were taken to the top of a tower/cliff and dropped head-first on top of a large stone.

The stoning mentioned in the bible was using small stones punishing the condemned and was not done to kill him but to show how his actions were perceived.

i.e.: a precursor to the actual execution. Like a guy being dragged through medieval streets and been pelted by vegetables, etc.

But like with many things we got fanatics distoring history and hollyweird don't help with them inventing stuff(like the thumb down gesture to sentence a gladiator to death).

Same way Gladiators fought bare-foot and were chubby as it helped protect their vital organs from shallow cuts.

Iran stoning, not history

While it's good they caught this guy, it's a little troubling that it took them over a year to do so. And I'm not sure this qualifies as computer profiling, as it doesn't take much computational power to write down the time and place of the attacks, and show up where you think he'll likely strike again.

If it's gonna take the cops a years worth of complaints, their only going to get the extreme serial gropers.

Not only that, but I'd hate to think what the groped women felt like to exhibit the courage go to the cop shop and explain what happened, only to be put into their database of victims.

You'd think that instead of taking a year to collect data, they could have sent some undercovers out after a couple months.

But I suppose that is Japanese style, collect as much data as possible before taking any action, lest you make a mistake.

If they cops really thought it was a problem that needed tackling, they decrease the amount of cops sleeping in the Koban, and increase the amount of undercovers on trains at all times, not just after they've collected a years worth of data.

nevertheless, glad they caught the guy.

Fadamor - My mistake, I should have said "The guy," not "The kid."

The police were probably taking notes on his technique!

Wonder how many graduate to actual rape because they know they can get away with it?