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crime

Mother, common-law husband arrested over fatal abuse of her 7-year-old daughter

14 Comments

Police in Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture, have arrested a 33-year-old woman and her 32-year-old common-law husband on suspicion of fatally abusing her seven-year-old daughter at his apartment in May.

According to police, Minami Shimazaki has been charged with negligence for doing nothing to help her daughter Nao get medical attention, while her common-law husband, Kai Kurata, has been charged with beating the girl, broadcaster NTV reported.

Police said Kurata is suspected of assaulting Nao between 8:40 p.m. on May 24 and 7:40 a.m. on May 25. Kurata and Shimazaki took Nao to Shimazaki’s parents’ home in Gifu Prefecture on May 25 and left her there while they returned to Inuyama.

Nao complained of abdominal pain and vomiting and was taken to a hospital in Gifu Prefecture on May 26 where she later died of septic shock.

Police said Shimazaki's smartphone contained images of Nao with injuries to her face.

According to the Ichinomiya Child Consultation Center, Nao was temporarily placed in the center's custody twice -- once in 2022 and agains 2023, but was released from custody after she expressed a desire to return home. The prefecture plans to set up a third-party committee to consider whether the center's response was appropriate.

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14 Comments
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Scum of the earth! This poor little girl suffered so much at the hands of her own parents. How can they do such a thing to their own child. They are monsters of the highest order and need to be punished severely.

Also why was she allowed to be with these parents when they knew what they were like? Heads should rule, policies and laws should change. It’s societies duty to protect the children.

9 ( +12 / -3 )

The child consultation centre should not return the girl to her parents.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Another tragedy. It seems like these stories come more from rural areas than you would expect. There seems to be some research on this https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0190740920322143

but the bottom line is that some people just shouldn’t have children.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Nao was temporarily placed in the center's custody twice -- once in 2022 and agains 2023

I don't expect much, but I would really like a serious investigation on the procedures followed and why this happened even with so much evidence of abuse and opportunities to prevent the death.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I am not going to write about the Japanese system when children are taken from their parents, however, I would highly recommend reading stories and there are many about the life for these children inside those institutions which may explain why this little girl wished to be returned.

I do hope these individuals see a very long time inside a prison and not see day light until their twilight years.

Prison in Japan is nothing like N. America no smoking, they must keep shaved heads and ohh the list goes on.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Obviously the response was “Inappropriate”.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

For about the 100th time .. Ladies, there are a lot of scumbag men out there who don't want you ex boyfriends "leftover" kids. You really don't need these guys. And your kids need them even less!

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Gallows for those scumbags..

2 ( +5 / -3 )

The prefecture plans to set up a third-party committee to consider whether the center's response was appropriate.

Neglect on their part. They're just as guilty as the parents and must be held accountable.

RIP girl. You never really had a life at all.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Poor little mouse...makes me want to cry...

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Women like this should be put into men's prisons. Let the men in there sort her out.

Both of these child-killing scum need to be hung. They have forfeited the privilege of living in any society and being sheltered and fed at the taxpayers expense.

Rest in Peace to poor little Nao-chan.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Hard to understand that people like this exist.

Lock them up for the rest of their lives.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Sweet lord, is it family hour or something here? There's been like 10 of these stories in a couple of days. Why does Japan put up with this? Give them both 25 years.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

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