crime

12-year-old boy questioned over knife attack on woman in Sapporo

38 Comments

Police in Sapporo said Sunday they have taken a 12-year-old boy into custody for questioning about a knife attack on a woman as she walked home on Saturday night.

The incident occurred at around 6 p.m. in Higashi Ward, Fuji TV reported. Police said they received a call from a passerby, saying that a woman was lying on the ground with a stab wound to her back. The knife was left at the scene of the crime.

The woman was rushed to hospital and was in a stable condition on Sunday.

Police said the only description the woman could give of her attacker was that he was wearing mostly black. Police examined street surveillance camera as well as footage from a nearby shopping center which showed the boy acting suspiciously, following the woman from the shopping center.

The boy was detained on Sunday afternoon for voluntary questioning and in the evening, was taken to a child consultation center where he reportedly admitted that he stabbed the woman. Under Japanese law, anyone under the age of 14 cannot be held criminally responsible.

According to police, the boy said he long felt like hurting someone and wanted to do so using a knife. He also said he imagined someone dying or killing someone. He said he shoplifted the knife about a month ago. The box the knife came in was found at his home.

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38 Comments
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Some are born with a difficult streak, and sadly go on to do terrible things. This kid would appear to be one of them. Maybe one day he will learn to face this voice inside that is giving him suggestions, but why does he have this voice when most do not? Or do we, but it has not surfaced in the same way?

And society will rightly continue to wring their hands on how to deal with such people. It is one of the ways of the world. All people can do is try to stay humane, while protecting themselves from attacks to the underbelly.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Why take the risk?

Of not stabbing to death children? Oh I dunno, probably because murder is murder and only the most heinous of individuals would contemplate (let alone carry out) such an act.

The kid is clearly deeply troubled and deserves professional scrutiny, at the very least.

Why would a kid entertain thoughts of wanting to kill another human being? Why would anyone?

I see little difference between what this kid wanted to do and what a minority (thank goodness) of posters here want to do to him.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

OK

sorry

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Hello people

All I have to say on this matter is...

This is more than likely the result of a troubled upbringing.

Poor lad probably didn't have much of one.

Probably shunned by his mother. thus the reason he attacked a woman.

Just my opinion lads.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Please omit the "Hello people" at the beginning of your posts.

to many dolusional ...what does this kid think he was doing? playing a many rule? the police have better keep an eye on him .... he's still a child

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Hate to disagree with you strangerland but Google 'Jon Venables'. He and his friend Robert Thompson murdered a two-year-old when they were both only ten years old themselves. Venables has been in and out of jail most of his life so some people really can't be saved.

And some can.

https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2010/mar/20/norway-town-forgave-child-killers

4 ( +5 / -1 )

He needs to experience how he feels when someone stabs his back.

Whilst there's a lot of interesting and new things one can try out in Japan, I'm pretty sure stabbing children isn't one of them. Or one which any sensible person would be interested in.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

If you want to take a look how abuse makes children go mentally wrong: Hokuto (2017) http://asianwiki.com/Hokuto_(Japanese_Drama).

But in this case, I doubt that abuse is the lone source of malice.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

he long felt like hurting someone

He needs to experience how he feels when someone stabs his back.

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

stormcrow:

What made this kid do what he did?It would be very interesting to know about his personal background. Were his parents abusive? Did he watch violent videos? etc.

We are a product of both nature and nurther. Not everything can be attributed to nurture. A certain small percentage of the population are simply socipaths from birth.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

tok reporter site wrote:

“I felt like hurting a person,” the boy said. “The kitchen knife used in the crime was shoplifted from shopping mall about one month ago.” "Police found a box for a knife and another knife in unused condition at the boy’s residence."

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

It would be very interesting to know about his personal background. Were his parents abusive? Did he watch violent videos? etc.

What made this kid do what he did?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

A future murderer. And because of the existing law, nothing can be done about it. Tragic.

-8 ( +1 / -9 )

so then what is the punishment for children under 14? 

I think the idea of 'under the age of 14 cannot be held criminally responsible' points to treatment rather than punishment.

Could be he's spent the past 12 years being violently 'punished' and wanted to know what it was like to be on the dishing-out end rather than the receiving end. Of course I could be maligning the parents unjustly...

Find out first why he did it, why he thought/felt the way he did/does, then decide what to do wth him.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Under Japanese law, anyone under the age of 14 cannot be held criminally responsible.

so then what is the punishment for children under 14? at the very least he needs to be evaluated at an institution for many years.

personally i'm a firm believer in nature and not nurture. if he's thinking about killing someone at 12, then he will continue thinking like this for the rest of his life. you can not "correct" someone of their true feelings.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

@ Bintaro "FYI, kids beaten by their parents can become violent toward their younger siblings, and bullied kids may build up rage inside that will be violent if it gets out.

It could be a mental problem too of course."

I see your point , could very well fit the pathology of a child who got beat down, and beat down while growing up, no love from the household, and snapped and lashed out. ...perhaps, In Japan, it appears that many abused children have no where to turn,- thus numerous i.e baby hatches, take out/drive thru abortions etc, and are expected to "suck it up" even if its from major dysfunctional experiences, within a rigid society -Thus many suicides, death packs, etc.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I can't imagine wanting to stab someone at random. That was not even in my mind at 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 etc.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

We don't know his upbringing or what drove him, there is precious little information to go by. Yes, it's an appaling incident - of that there is no doubt. But the judge, jury and executioners need to calm down. This is a child.

put him down before it gets worse.

Fortunately, we are not living in medieval or biblical times and are a bit more enlightened than that.

He needs expert psychiatric help.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Damn, people are quick to get the torches out and call for the head of a 12 years old !

While this is shocking and worrisome news, it would be better to know more before passing any judgement.

the boy said he long felt like hurting someone

FYI, kids beaten by their parents can become violent toward their younger siblings, and bullied kids may build up rage inside that will be violent if it gets out.

It could be a mental problem too of course.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

If he does have a psychopathic personality disorder it's not likely there is a good outlook. There used to be no treatment as such, though recently the go-to approach of cognitive behaviour therapy is being tried. But if these people are unable to empathise with others and are only concerned with what they want, then all this therapy will do is teach them to behave as if they were normal, but underneath they will not be, and given the right circumstances will offend again. The best one can hope for is that he is found to be psychotic rather than have a personality disorder, for that at least he can be genuinely treated.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

i will not mention violent video games. i will not.

-9 ( +2 / -11 )

Its highly unlikely that a reeducation is possible

At 12 years old, you're almost definitely wrong. This is an age where people will be much more 'correctable' than when they get older.

4 ( +9 / -5 )

He should be tried as one and he should be locked up in closed mental hospital or any other way he would be fully and terminally removed from society.

Its highly unlikely that a reeducation is possible ,he is already a coward predator ( not following men, but women ) that is tried to kill , put him down before it gets worse.

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

He stabbed a random person in a premeditated attack, he should be tried as an adult.

He's not an adult.

You realize that there is a reason why children are not charged the same as adults, right?

6 ( +13 / -7 )

Japan is way behind in changing its laws and once again we’re going to see not only a slap on he wrist of a socieopath in he making. Next week he can kill a few people with the knowledge he can’t be touched.

Lock him him up in an institution at least until it can be deemed he will not do it — or worse — again.

-2 ( +5 / -7 )

So sad that someone so young was thinking this way.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

I hate to say this, but think what this guy could have done if he'd gotten his hands on a gun. There are weirdos like this in any society, but making it harder to get nasty weapons does help limit the toll.

11 ( +13 / -2 )

The sad thing is, NOTHING will come from this. Because he'll be given a stern "talking to", parents pay a few bills and its back to shoplifting knives and looking for victims to stab for this kid. There are so many things that can be done to curt a problematic child like this in the early stage before he gets older and the body count becomes higher.

-7 ( +3 / -10 )

Lock this "little punk up"! If he foes this when he is 12 years old! Hmm, things don't look good for his future!

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

This sounds like something bad is going on at home. Best to not pass judgment until more of the story unfolds.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

And this situation and his "motives" are not a single case, there is an ongoing problem deep within the society that brings humans to such lows. Entertainment, cultural aspekts, I do not know precise source. For the sake of their own nation, I hope someone addresses it soon.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Does Japan have its version of Scared Straight, a program where would be waywards tour correctional facilities and think twice before getting into trouble again?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

the boy said he long felt like hurting someone and wanted to do so using a knife

Definitely lock this kid up. Don't let him get back on the streets in short time due to his age.

6 ( +12 / -6 )

a psychopath in the making, this kid needs some serious psychotherapy. Make sure he is detained during it. If he offends again, lock him up for life.

8 ( +15 / -7 )

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