crime

Man pleads not guilty to fatally abusing girlfriend’s 2-year-old daughter

20 Comments

A 25-year-old man on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to fatally abusing the two-year-old daughter of his 22-year-old girlfriend at their apartment in Sapporo last year.

According to the indictment read at the Sapporo District Court, Kazuya Fujiwara and his girlfriend Rina Ikeda repeatedly abused her 2-year-old daughter Kotori between late May and June 5, 2019, local media reported. The abuse of Kotori occurred despite a child welfare official interviewing her mother in 2018 following a tip and a police officer meeting with the mother and the girl in mid-May, 2019.

Prosecutors say Ikeda called an ambulance around 5 a.m. on June 5, saying her daughter was ill. Kotori showed no vital signs while she was being taken to a hospital.

Prosecutors say Kotori had not been fed properly and could have been regularly abused as multiple bruises and cigarette burns were found on her body. She weighed less than 10 kilograms, about half the average weight of a girl of her age.

In September 2018, a child consultation center received a tip that Kotori was being left extensively at a daycare and may have been neglected. But it concluded there was no neglect after a worker met with the girl and her mother at their home. The girl appeared to have been very attached to her mother at that time, according to officials.

But the center received another tip from neighbors in April 2019 that the child was constantly screaming and crying but it was unable to meet or contact the mother.

A police officer then met with Kotori and her mother on May 15 and found a wound on her face and a bandage on her foot, but the wound did not appear serious enough to suspect abuse, police said. Ikeda had said the wound was the result of Kotori's tripping over, they said.

Prosecutors say Kotori was subjected to serious physical abuse after the meeting with the police officer as fresh bruises were found at the time of her death.

Kotori’s mother is being tried separately. A verdict in Fujiwara’s case is expected on Nov 2.

© Japan Today/Kyodo

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

20 Comments
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Hah, good luck with not pleading guilty. 99% conviction rate has it's use too. The court will eat him alive.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

I'm glad he is pleading innocent. That means more years in prison when he is convicted - though, frankly, death would be appropriate.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Prosecutors say Kotori had not been fed properly and could have been regularly abused as multiple bruises and cigarette burns were found on her body. She weighed less than 10 kilograms, about half the average weight of a girl of her age.

As the father of a 2 year old girl, this is enraging and horrific.

I'm glad he is pleading innocent. That means more years in prison when he is convicted - though, frankly, death would be appropriate.

I usually don't agree with you, but here I'm behind you 100%. Although I would prefer solitary confinement for this piece of garbage for the rest of his life.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

In September 2018, a child consultation center received a tip that Kotori was being left extensively at a daycare and may have been neglected. But it concluded there was no neglect after a worker met with the girl and her mother at their home. The girl appeared to have been very attached to her mother at that time, according to officials.

concluded there was no neglect? I’m guessing she didn’t have cigarette burns and bruises when the consultant interviewed them.

Lock this pair of animals up for a very long time. The charge should be murder!

8 ( +8 / -0 )

How can the population raise the birth rate when the young cant handle children?!?!

8 ( +8 / -0 )

They should both be looked up until they die.

While we're at it, the copper and child welfare official should be prosecuted for utter stupidity and incompetence.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

The child welfare officials who interviewed the mother should also be charged for negligence to do their job properly and failing to relocate the child for safety! Pathetic officials as well as the police who met with the child’s mother! Despite strong history been there, physical marks and bruising yet these garbage officials didn’t take action and the poor girl suffered before losing her life!

6 ( +6 / -0 )

let me guess, kid was from a different man, this pos is unemployed AND the mom protected him over her daughter. BINGO

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Wtf? How could you do that to a child, let alone anyone???? For example, I hate cats. Not a fan. But I would never ever torture and abuse any living creature. And it’s an innocent child!!!

5 ( +5 / -0 )

In September 2018, a child consultation center received a tip that Kotori was being left extensively at a daycare and may have been neglected. But it concluded there was no neglect after a worker met with the girl and her mother at their home. The girl appeared to have been very attached to her mother at that time, according to officials.

The girl must have been what, 1 year old at the time? And they made this conclusion. Sickening.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Just plead guilty and give closure.

I hate people who lie and cheat and don’t apologize. I can never be a politician.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

it takes a REAL man to beat up a child. loser

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Pleading guilty was his way of pleading for his own life!!! 99% conviction rate

3 ( +3 / -0 )

It was not all that long ago that YUA FUNATO suffered a similar untimely end?

Is it not time that some one in social services stepped up and started to take action as soon as the warning signs start to manifest? you would have thought that they would have put new action plans in place to stop another yua kuns case, but it does not seem to have happened, https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2019100700623/18-years-sought-for-stepfather-over-abuse-death-of-tokyo-girl.html

how on earth can stub out a cigaret on a Childs arm? some one has to have a screw missing some where, I certainly could not under any circumstance!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Dango bongToday  12:00 pm JST

let me guess, kid was from a different man, this pos is unemployed AND the mom protected him over her daughter. BINGO

The ol' 'stepfather syndrome'. If this unmaly jerk cared about his GF he would not've done this. Scumbag!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

And let me guess. The mother is going to get a suspended sentence because the defense will argue that she was under the psychological control of her boyfriend and was unable to remove her and her daughter from the situation

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Maybe someone should explain to the scum what the words "not guilty" means. Clearly he doesn't know the meaning.

Maybe he would understand the meaning of a 2X4 whacked across his skull a couple dozen times.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

The child welfare officials who interviewed the mother should also be charged for negligence to do their job properly and failing to relocate the child for safety! Pathetic officials as well as the police who met with the child’s mother! Despite strong history been there, physical marks and bruising yet these garbage officials didn’t take action and the poor girl suffered before losing her life!

Once again is shown the japanese rule that the outside image or saving face is the most important thing in their life and the complementary one of "Do not cause problems to other people" which officials employs follow always...

So is ok to them to just pretend nothing is happening until someone ends up dead, and just say some crap like there was no evidence, even tho there is lots of it and just say "gomenasai"

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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