Woody
05-12-2007, 12:28 PM
Lucie Blackman was an English woman working illegally as a hostess in the district of Roppongi Tokyo.
She mysteriously disappeared in July 2000 and was only 21 years old at the time of her death.
Her dismembered body was found a year later, buried in a shallow grave at a beach in Miura, Kanagawa.
The millionaire property developer Joji Obara was quickly charged with the drugging, raping and killing of Blackman.
Other charges included six other rapes and a manslaughter of an Australian hostess: A Carita Ridgway.
On April 24, 2007, after a six-year trial, Obara was sentenced to life sentence for the rapes and the manslaughter.
But was acquitted of all charges relating to Blackman.
However, the verdict is not final as both the prosecutor and the defense have appealed against the verdict.
Blackman's death and Obara's trial received a lot of press attention in Japan as well as internationally - especially in the British media.
At the time of her disappearance she had been working as a hostess at the Casablanca night club in Roppongi.
The Blackman family, wanting to find Lucie, took immediate action.
The media started publicising Blackman's case on the 13th July.
The British PM. Tony Blair made mention of the murder during an official visit to Japan with PM. Junichiro Koizumi.
Prosecutors say that on the 20th July, the Azabu Police Station received a letter purporting to be written by Blackman, saying she had vanished on her own accord.
Similar letters would arrive in the following months.
Blackman's case received enormous coverage in British and Japanese media:
In part due to the direct actions of the Blackman family, the setting up of an office in Tokyo with the staffing of an information hotline staffed by British ex-pats.
Also; an offer of a reward of £100,000 by a businessman.
However; after the disclosure of her dismembered body. It was made clear that Blackman was not the first foreign woman employed in Japan's so-called "water trade" to disappear.
The water trade is also known as: "mizu shōbai".
Mizuho Fukushima, a member of Japan's Upper House parliament and a high-profile women's rights advocate, stated that many Asian women had disappeared previously; without mention but that "it was news when a white girl disappeared!"
Joji Obara
Five days after Blackman was last heard from, on the 6th July 2000.
The Japanese police received a call from the manager of Joji Obara's condominium. Near the shores of the Miura Peninsula and were told of a tenant who had been making lots of noise in his unit the day before.
Police visited the apartment that evening and found Obara, a property developer, naked from the waist up, covered in sweat.
Officers asked permission to look around his apartment and were allowed in.
Chunks of cement were strewn near the entrance and around the apartment.
Officers also noticed a bulky sack in the room and what appeared to be a gardening hoe.
Asked about this, Obara said he had been "removing tiles," according to a trial transcript.
When officers requested access to the bathroom, Obara said, "You've already seen enough."
Upon further questioning, he grew agitated and the officers eventually left.
At this point, however, police were not even aware of Blackman's disappearance, and had no reason to be more suspicious of Obara.
Due to the press coverage, leads began to pour into a 'hot-line' the Blackmans had set up in Tokyo.
Three foreign women came forward with remarkably similar stories.
Each had been working at Roppongi hostess clubs within the past few years and gone on a dohan to a seaside restaurant with a wealthy,
Japanese businessman.
Each of the women reported blacking out and waking up hours or days later in this man's apartment.
The investigators noted that he used a different pseudonym with each girl, calling himself "Kazu," "Yuji" or "Koji".
In September, other victims identified Obara as someone who had date-raped them. Obara was arrested in October.
Although Blackman's hair was found at Obara's apartment none of her blood was. Police confiscated receipts for buying a chainsaw, a shovel, and 5,000 video tapes, made over a period of 18 years!
Amongs them 400 of which showed Obara raping or molesting
unconscious or semi-conscious women.
Among the 100 plus Western women said to be on the tapes! Were a 21-year-old Carita Ridgeway from Australia. She had died in hospital in 1992 after she was checked in by a man police believe was Joji Obara.
Police said they have found the receipt for that hospital admission in his Zushi flat.
They also found a note in Obara's diary that read - drug women so that they can fall asleep completely.
Obara refused to make a confession.
Discovery of body
On the 10th January 2001. Blackman's dismembered body was found buried in a shallow grave under a bathtub in a seaside cave at Miura, Kanagawa. Only a few hundred metres from Obara's apartment!
Approx. 30 miles south of Tokyo.
- The body had been cut into eight pieces.
- Her head had been shaved and encased in concrete.
Blackman's Father's acceptance of funds:
In September 2006, Lucie's father, Tim Blackman, accepted £454,000 'mimaikin', or condolence money, from an associate of Obara.
Blackman said the money would be split between the Lucie Blackman Trust and to support the family in the future.
Lucie's mother, Jane Steare, who had refused a similar payment, called this "blood money" and called her ex-husband's action as an "unbelievable betrayal".
Mrs Steare also claimed her former husband struck a deal with the defence team to receive the cash and signed a document questioning key evidence.
Details of the paperwork were revealed on a website allegedly maintained by those close to Obara's defence team.
Her allegation is currently being investigated by the British Hampshire Police.
Under Japanese law a gift made by those who confesses to 'this-guilt' to the relatives of their victim (If accepted by the victims' party!) may be taken into consideration by the trial judges when sentencing!
The subsequence acceptance of this 'cash' may be seen as an acceptance of the apology and thus, to some extent, a note of forgiveness maybe assumed from the party of the victim.
This action would further indirectly imply that an element of severity within sentencing may be lessened. (i.e. a less harsh sentence given!)
However, this does not acctually apply in this case as the accused refused to plead guilty!
In addition to the documents allegedly signed by Mr Blackman for Obara's lawyers, he also sent a letter to the Japanese police denouncing Obara. "I believe the defendant to be guilty of all charges!"
He further wrote. "I do not forgive the defendant in any way whatsoever. The condolence from his friend is accepted just as we have received condolence from around the world!"
Trial and verdict
Obara was subsequently charged with drugging, raping and killing Blackman. According to the prosecuting indictment:
Obara made Blackman a drink containing a drug before raping her at a condominium in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture.
On April 24, 2007 Obara was jailed for life on multiple rape charges and one manslaughter, (That of Carita Ridgway) but he was acquitted of the crime of Blackman's rape and murder.
Evidence supporting his guilt in regards to the charge of rape included the approximately 400 videos he took over 18 years, in which he engaged in multiple 'date-rape' activities.
For the charge of manslaughter of Carita Ridgeway, the prosecutor produced autopsy report showing trace of chloroform in Carita Ridgeway's liver.
Also; a paper trail showing that the accused accompanied Ridgeway to the hospital before she died.
The prosecutor however, could not produce any forensic evidence linking the accused to the death of Blackman due to the highly decomposed state of the body of Blackman.
The judge stated that in deciding on the sentence he did not attach much importance to Mr Obara’s payment of “consolation money” to a number of his victims.
The Japanese judicial system has received some criticism for its handling of this case both domestically and internationally.
It is believe that the police did not take the case of a missing person seriously; "Because Lucie was working illegally in a job from which women often flee without notice.".
As a result, the discovery of the body was too late to determine the cause of the death.
The verdict by three judges cited the lack of forensic evidences as a reason for acquittal for Obara.
Some foreign media criticised the leaking of information from the police in this case to the press that could have caused a mistrial.
However, as Japanese courts have 'judges only' and do not use a trial jury, there cannot be grounds for a mistrial.
Blackmans party vow to continue their 'Trust'...
She mysteriously disappeared in July 2000 and was only 21 years old at the time of her death.
Her dismembered body was found a year later, buried in a shallow grave at a beach in Miura, Kanagawa.
The millionaire property developer Joji Obara was quickly charged with the drugging, raping and killing of Blackman.
Other charges included six other rapes and a manslaughter of an Australian hostess: A Carita Ridgway.
On April 24, 2007, after a six-year trial, Obara was sentenced to life sentence for the rapes and the manslaughter.
But was acquitted of all charges relating to Blackman.
However, the verdict is not final as both the prosecutor and the defense have appealed against the verdict.
Blackman's death and Obara's trial received a lot of press attention in Japan as well as internationally - especially in the British media.
At the time of her disappearance she had been working as a hostess at the Casablanca night club in Roppongi.
The Blackman family, wanting to find Lucie, took immediate action.
The media started publicising Blackman's case on the 13th July.
The British PM. Tony Blair made mention of the murder during an official visit to Japan with PM. Junichiro Koizumi.
Prosecutors say that on the 20th July, the Azabu Police Station received a letter purporting to be written by Blackman, saying she had vanished on her own accord.
Similar letters would arrive in the following months.
Blackman's case received enormous coverage in British and Japanese media:
In part due to the direct actions of the Blackman family, the setting up of an office in Tokyo with the staffing of an information hotline staffed by British ex-pats.
Also; an offer of a reward of £100,000 by a businessman.
However; after the disclosure of her dismembered body. It was made clear that Blackman was not the first foreign woman employed in Japan's so-called "water trade" to disappear.
The water trade is also known as: "mizu shōbai".
Mizuho Fukushima, a member of Japan's Upper House parliament and a high-profile women's rights advocate, stated that many Asian women had disappeared previously; without mention but that "it was news when a white girl disappeared!"
Joji Obara
Five days after Blackman was last heard from, on the 6th July 2000.
The Japanese police received a call from the manager of Joji Obara's condominium. Near the shores of the Miura Peninsula and were told of a tenant who had been making lots of noise in his unit the day before.
Police visited the apartment that evening and found Obara, a property developer, naked from the waist up, covered in sweat.
Officers asked permission to look around his apartment and were allowed in.
Chunks of cement were strewn near the entrance and around the apartment.
Officers also noticed a bulky sack in the room and what appeared to be a gardening hoe.
Asked about this, Obara said he had been "removing tiles," according to a trial transcript.
When officers requested access to the bathroom, Obara said, "You've already seen enough."
Upon further questioning, he grew agitated and the officers eventually left.
At this point, however, police were not even aware of Blackman's disappearance, and had no reason to be more suspicious of Obara.
Due to the press coverage, leads began to pour into a 'hot-line' the Blackmans had set up in Tokyo.
Three foreign women came forward with remarkably similar stories.
Each had been working at Roppongi hostess clubs within the past few years and gone on a dohan to a seaside restaurant with a wealthy,
Japanese businessman.
Each of the women reported blacking out and waking up hours or days later in this man's apartment.
The investigators noted that he used a different pseudonym with each girl, calling himself "Kazu," "Yuji" or "Koji".
In September, other victims identified Obara as someone who had date-raped them. Obara was arrested in October.
Although Blackman's hair was found at Obara's apartment none of her blood was. Police confiscated receipts for buying a chainsaw, a shovel, and 5,000 video tapes, made over a period of 18 years!
Amongs them 400 of which showed Obara raping or molesting
unconscious or semi-conscious women.
Among the 100 plus Western women said to be on the tapes! Were a 21-year-old Carita Ridgeway from Australia. She had died in hospital in 1992 after she was checked in by a man police believe was Joji Obara.
Police said they have found the receipt for that hospital admission in his Zushi flat.
They also found a note in Obara's diary that read - drug women so that they can fall asleep completely.
Obara refused to make a confession.
Discovery of body
On the 10th January 2001. Blackman's dismembered body was found buried in a shallow grave under a bathtub in a seaside cave at Miura, Kanagawa. Only a few hundred metres from Obara's apartment!
Approx. 30 miles south of Tokyo.
- The body had been cut into eight pieces.
- Her head had been shaved and encased in concrete.
Blackman's Father's acceptance of funds:
In September 2006, Lucie's father, Tim Blackman, accepted £454,000 'mimaikin', or condolence money, from an associate of Obara.
Blackman said the money would be split between the Lucie Blackman Trust and to support the family in the future.
Lucie's mother, Jane Steare, who had refused a similar payment, called this "blood money" and called her ex-husband's action as an "unbelievable betrayal".
Mrs Steare also claimed her former husband struck a deal with the defence team to receive the cash and signed a document questioning key evidence.
Details of the paperwork were revealed on a website allegedly maintained by those close to Obara's defence team.
Her allegation is currently being investigated by the British Hampshire Police.
Under Japanese law a gift made by those who confesses to 'this-guilt' to the relatives of their victim (If accepted by the victims' party!) may be taken into consideration by the trial judges when sentencing!
The subsequence acceptance of this 'cash' may be seen as an acceptance of the apology and thus, to some extent, a note of forgiveness maybe assumed from the party of the victim.
This action would further indirectly imply that an element of severity within sentencing may be lessened. (i.e. a less harsh sentence given!)
However, this does not acctually apply in this case as the accused refused to plead guilty!
In addition to the documents allegedly signed by Mr Blackman for Obara's lawyers, he also sent a letter to the Japanese police denouncing Obara. "I believe the defendant to be guilty of all charges!"
He further wrote. "I do not forgive the defendant in any way whatsoever. The condolence from his friend is accepted just as we have received condolence from around the world!"
Trial and verdict
Obara was subsequently charged with drugging, raping and killing Blackman. According to the prosecuting indictment:
Obara made Blackman a drink containing a drug before raping her at a condominium in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture.
On April 24, 2007 Obara was jailed for life on multiple rape charges and one manslaughter, (That of Carita Ridgway) but he was acquitted of the crime of Blackman's rape and murder.
Evidence supporting his guilt in regards to the charge of rape included the approximately 400 videos he took over 18 years, in which he engaged in multiple 'date-rape' activities.
For the charge of manslaughter of Carita Ridgeway, the prosecutor produced autopsy report showing trace of chloroform in Carita Ridgeway's liver.
Also; a paper trail showing that the accused accompanied Ridgeway to the hospital before she died.
The prosecutor however, could not produce any forensic evidence linking the accused to the death of Blackman due to the highly decomposed state of the body of Blackman.
The judge stated that in deciding on the sentence he did not attach much importance to Mr Obara’s payment of “consolation money” to a number of his victims.
The Japanese judicial system has received some criticism for its handling of this case both domestically and internationally.
It is believe that the police did not take the case of a missing person seriously; "Because Lucie was working illegally in a job from which women often flee without notice.".
As a result, the discovery of the body was too late to determine the cause of the death.
The verdict by three judges cited the lack of forensic evidences as a reason for acquittal for Obara.
Some foreign media criticised the leaking of information from the police in this case to the press that could have caused a mistrial.
However, as Japanese courts have 'judges only' and do not use a trial jury, there cannot be grounds for a mistrial.
Blackmans party vow to continue their 'Trust'...