The trial began Monday of a 21-year-old man charged with fatally abusing the three-year-old son of the woman he was living with in January 2016 at their home in Tokyo’s Ota Ward.
In the opening session at the Tokyo District Court, Naoya Nagatomi pleaded partially guilty, saying he hit the boy but denied kicking him in the head.
The court heard that the boy’s mother, who is in her 20s, notified emergency services on Jan 26, 2016, saying that her son Ayato Arai had a fever and was not responding, Fuji TV reported.
Upon arrival at the apartment, ambulance personnel found the boy in a state of cardio-respiratory arrest and he was immediately taken to a hospital. He died on Jan 27 of a subdural hematoma, according to doctors.
Prosecutors said the boy had visible bruises on his cheeks and buttocks, and was bleeding from his left ear when he was taken to hospital, prompting police to question the mother and Nagatomi about whether they had been abusing the boy.
Nagatomi admitted to police that he beat the boy for an hour on the night of Jan 25, 2016, because he glared at him during dinner. The boy's mother,who was not charged, told police she tried to stop Nagatomi from assaulting Ayato but she, too, was hit.
Media reported that Nagatomi was a member of a criminal gang and that he moved in with the woman and her son on Jan 8. Police said the two met online.
© Japan Today
12 Comments
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Yubaru
A three year old child....big man huh? He has pleaded guilty, will go to jail, and get out and do it again. Dude is lucky he is in a Japanese prison.
Speed
A real mother would never let anyone beat their kid even if it meant getting hit yourself.
Throw these bums in jail. Better yet, execute the murderer punk (even though by law it can't happen).
Bintaro
That's a pretty big anger management issue here... I'm sure prison will solve it.
@speed
That's easy to say... And pretty damn cruel.
sensei258
Call it what it is, MURDER
Disillusioned
Put this wanna-be yak punk in a deep dark hole for the rest of his life. What a brave man! He beat a three-year old baby to death because it glared at him. And, why didn't the woman call the cops as soon as the beating started?
602miko
Met online .... No happy ending yet, mostly end in brutality. RIP lil boy soon u will get the justice. If?
canadianbento
Give this "creep" the "death penalty"!
Civitas Sine Suffragio
Poor little kid, probably knew only pain, fear and want during his all too brief life.
Goodlucktoyou
@disallousioned. J police only come after a crime has been committed.
Mirai Hayashi
People like this make me physically ill. I hope justice come down on him HARD.
But knowing the crappy verdict this justice system usually makes, i'd better not
hold my breath
smithinjapan
Lock him up for life.
krustytheclown
"You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in."