crime

Mother, boyfriend get suspended sentence for leaving scalded child at home

29 Comments

The Yokohama District Court has sentenced a 22-year-old woman and her 21-year-old boyfriend to two years in prison, suspended for four years, after they were found guilty of failing to provide medical treatment to the woman’s 3-year-old daughter who suffered severe burns.

The mother, Kaho Hashimoto, who is unemployed, and her unemployed live-in boyfriend, Satoshi Tanaka, were arrested on March 5 after they left the child alone in their apartment in Yokohama’s Tsurumi Ward. The girl had suffered burns to her back on March 4, and instead of seeking medical help, the defendants bandaged her entire back with plastic wrap.

At the time of their arrest, Hashimoto told police she had scalded her daughter by mistake after turning on the hot water while giving her a shower in the afternoon. She said she and Tanaka later went out to play pachinko, thinking her daughter would be OK.

Hashimoto also has a 5-year-old son who was at home at the time. After his mother and Tanaka left, he went to a neighbor and said his sister was hurt and his mother wasn’t home. The neighbor called 119.

In handing down his ruling on Wednesday, Presiding Judge Takao Katayama said Hashimoto and Tanaka lacked responsibility as guardians and were immature if they couldn’t see the serious consequences of not seeking medical help for their daughter, Fuji TV reported.

Defense lawyers said the reasoning behind their clients' actions reflected their lifestyle and attitude toward child-rearing. They argued that Hashimoto and Tanaka have room to rehabilitate and change their behavior in the future.

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29 Comments
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She said she and Tanaka later went out to play pachinko, thinking her daughter would be OK.

Good grief!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I hope they can learn from this incident. They're still young. Too young to be parents?

Not for me to say.

So, she gets pregnant at 16, has her first child at 17, soon after gets pregnant again, second child at 19, no father in the picture, unemployed (probably euphemism for prostitution), living with an unemployed boyfriend, spending their time at pachinko. Does anybody really believe she "has room to rehabilitate and change her behavior in the future"??

Yes. Not everyone walks into a cushy job, not everyone has a great upbringing and/or lucky breaks.

Being unemployed can be very demoralising and some people don't cope well with it.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Obviously doesn't know anything about birth control

And neither did the father(s) of her children. Men need to take responsiibility for their actions too.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

DisillusionedSep. 5 06:37 pm JST

but for one to have serious 'untreated' burns just shows a complete lack of any kind of maternal affection towards the child.

Ironically, maybe the idea of treating it with plastic wrap isn't as horrible as first impressions make it:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/06/28/treat-a-burn-injury-with-running-water-and-glad-wrap_a_21420765/

https://www.vicburns.org.au/first-aid/thermal/cover-the-burn/

And they won't be the first parents to feel that an injury does not always merit a trip to the hospital.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

So this girl was pregnant at 16 and then again at 18. Obviously doesn't know anything about birth control or learn from her mistakes.

Yeah, it's sad that both her parents and society let her down.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

So this girl was pregnant at 16 and then again at 18. Obviously doesn't know anything about birth control or learn from her mistakes.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I'm struggling to stay afloat with my two jobs and I don't have kids. How do they make it with no jobs and two kids??? Also, they waste the no-money they have in Pachinko? Makes sense they thought the kid's wounds were not an emergency.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Disgraceful sentencing.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

The five-year old boy had more common sense than these two "adults" put together. Brutal.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Suspended sentence lacks any deterrent to others that are or will become reckless in their concern for children. But Government money is saved that otherwise would have to be spent on incarceration costs.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Warning signs should flash in front of police and social workers' eyes whenever they see or hear the words "mother and 21 year old boyfriend."

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

And we have to believe that the hot water scalding was accidental? Come on. Unfortunately, this lady and her loser boyfriend obviously can't look after kids.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Chip Star,

good comments.

I always reading the ones you put on here and I agree with you a real 'repugnant miscarriage of justice.'

3 ( +4 / -1 )

They argued that Hashimoto and Tanaka have room to rehabilitate and change their behavior in the future.

So, no mention of any kind of intervention from child services or some kind of counselling to teach them how to be responsible parents. They would have walked out of the court, rubbed their hands together and said, "Let's go to pachinko!" People like this do not magically rehabilitate themselves. The need education and strict ground rules to be backed up by the child welfare service. I fear the plight of these kids is far from over. As if it's not irresponsible enough to leave little kids at home alone, but for one to have serious 'untreated' burns just shows a complete lack of any kind of maternal affection towards the child. I also have my doubts as to whether the burns were an accident as the mother states. It would not be the first time I've heard of a young child being scaled with boiling for punishment in recent months. They should be separated from the children until they can prove they are fit parents and not just a pair of unemployed, pachinko addicted, chimpira punks.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

This judgement is the reason the letters W, T, and F were created.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

guilty of failing to provide medical treatment 

What about the rest ? Please tell me the two kids are in custody and that pair never gets to care for them.

while giving her a shower in the afternoon*

went out to play pachinko... a 5-year-old son who was at home at the time

Sure, it's just normal to shower in the afternoon... No neglect ?

Just normal to let the 3 yr old with a 5 yr old babysitter... No irresponsibility ?

 by mistake after turning on the hot water

The water must have been really very hot. They have a super shower... I was not there, but the "mistake" is not obvious.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Suspended sentence? This is a disgrace.

Judge Katayama should be immediately suspended from his duties.

I would have reccomended 2 years imprisonment each to be served one after the other. That way at least one is with the children while the other is locked up. The one remaining with the children would be under strict supervision and required to receive parenting education.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

Stupid argument

Extremely stupid, and quote dangerous. These are two unemployed people that thought it was a good idea to go play pachinko, leave a 3 and 5 year old alone, and use plastic wrap as a remedy for a burn.

This judge should be removed from the bench.

9 ( +11 / -2 )

Defense lawyers said the reasoning behind their clients' actions reflected their lifestyle and attitude toward child-rearing. They argued that Hashimoto and Tanaka have room to rehabilitate and change their behavior in the future.

Stupid argument

3 ( +6 / -3 )

@Chip Star: There you go again. "Repugnant" is pretty overused by you, don't you think so?

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

Considering the road Japan is going down right now, every child born is worth their weight in gold and 

I'm assuming that you think every child is worth their weight in gold, but that Japan should more readily recognize this because of its declining population.

Not one single child has ever asked to be born. This means parents have inherent responsibilities to take care of their children and the state has the responsibility to protect children from their parents when necessary.

1 ( +7 / -6 )

A repugnant miscarriage of justice. The simple act of leaving a three and five year old home alone is neglect. These children need to be removed given the incompetence of child welfare workers and police here - apparently some judges as well.

Further evidence that only morons believe in the Japanese "justice" system.

10 ( +16 / -6 )

It really bothers me that there have been many cases involving domestic violence by parents in their 20's against their kids. Considering the road Japan is going down right now, every child born is worth their weight in gold and should be lovingly taken cared of, sad! Don't get me wrong, not everyone is capable of decently raising kids and it ain't easy but at least treat them like a human being.

2 ( +8 / -6 )

So, she gets pregnant at 16, has her first child at 17, soon after gets pregnant again, second child at 19, no father in the picture, unemployed (probably euphemism for prostitution), living with an unemployed boyfriend, spending their time at pachinko. Does anybody really believe she  "has room to rehabilitate and change her behavior in the future"??

4 ( +14 / -10 )

@Serendipitous - the article might have been updated since it was first published, but the child is only Ms. Hashimoto's; the guy is just her shiftless-bum boyfriend who lives with her and apparently enjoys gambling at pachinko with her. He's clearly not mature enough yet to have children of his own; let's hope he straightens his life out at some point.

-8 ( +3 / -11 )

i certainly hope the kids are taken away, there is no hope for two unemployed pachinko addicts with iq of a plant

8 ( +15 / -7 )

The children should be removed and the parents should go to prison. Next time we read about them, they'll probably have killed one or both of their kids. A suspended sentence is ridiculous when young lives are at stake.

9 ( +17 / -8 )

Please note the boyfriend is not the father of the children.

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