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Police in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, have arrested a 54-year-old male employee at a facility for the disabled on suspicion of assaulting a patient.
Police said the suspect, Masashi Sakurai, has denied the allegations and quoted him as saying, “I only pretended to punch him. I didn’t hit anyone.”
The alleged incident occurred around 12:15 p.m. on August 30, Fuji TV reported. Sakurai is accused of punching the face of a 26-year-old male patient with his fist during lunchtime. The victim was not seriously injured.
According to police, Sakurai had been working at the facility for 30 years as a life support specialist. On Sept 10, a staff member of the facility reported the assault to officials of Tasaki City.
© Japan Today
7 Comments
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Luddite
Thirty years? I bet this wasn't the first time he assaulted a patient.
Disillusioned
Pretend to punch or not, it is still unfit behaviour for a professional carer.
Michael Jackson
One of his coworkers reported him. I worked in a few care centers in the U.S. after retiring from the military. Staff members are bound by law to report abuse, suspected abuse, or comments by residents about being abused.
Chop Chop
I though such as abuse incidents are happening in Australia but it seems to be in all developed countries. The nursing home is where most of abuse incidents were happened in Australia. 3 nursing home staffs were going on trail last a few months when they were caught on hidden spy video cameras by patients families. I think they cannot tolerate or patience with older peoples and disable peoples they should not work in the age care and health care industry. These peoples are cowards.
602miko
His been working there for 30 years he dedicated his life for a long time pioneer then one of the staff reported him. There is no dai sempai respect ?
sir_bentley28
Sakurai had been working at the facility for 30 YEARS as a life support specialist
“I only pretended to punch him. I didn’t hit anyone.”
30 years down the drain for "pretending" to punch someone. He should've thought about his career before "pretending to punch" someone less fortunate than himself.
Michael Jackson
In the States, the laws for care facilities are really weighted in favor of the residents. When I was doing hands-on care, one resident told me that the physical therapist had touched her inappropriately. She then immediately retracted her statement, and made me promise not to tell anyone because she wanted to think it over. The next day, I was called into the director's office and they asked me if she had told me. So of course I said yes, but she made me promise not to tell anyone. They then explained how much legal trouble I would have been in if they hadn't covered for me. I couldn't believe it.