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UPDATE: Saturday, June 12, 2010      The Japan Times Weekly    2009年7月4日号 (バックナンバー)
 
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Truth behind false charge
(From The Japan Times June 26 issue)

 


要約
足利事件、誤判の原因究明を

The Tokyo High Court on June 23 decided to retry a 62-year-old man who served 17 years of a life sentence until a new DNA test suggested he was innocent. Mr. Toshikazu Sugaya was arrested in December 1991 for the May 1990 kidnapping and murder of a 4-year-old girl in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture. Although he retracted earlier confessions during his first trial, the Utsunomiya District Court sentenced him to life imprisonment in July 1993 on the basis of DNA test results it considered decisive evidence. The Supreme Court finalized the sentence in July 2000.

The Tokyo High Court, which had been handling Mr. Sugaya's request for a retrial, ordered a new DNA test in December 2008. A forensic expert recommended by the prosecution and another recommended by the defense counsel carried out separate DNA tests, and concluded that DNA from dried body fluid on the girl's clothing did not match Mr. Sugaya's. Adopting the results of the new DNA test by the former, the court concluded that "it is reasonably doubtful to recognize Mr. Sugaya as the culprit."

The defense counsel had demanded that 11 people, including the National Police Agency's crime laboratory officials who conducted the original DNA test, be questioned as witnesses in order to "dig out the truth behind the false accusation." But the high court turned down the demand, apparently to expedite the process of declaring Mr. Sugaya innocent. Thus a chance to clarify the truth before the high court was lost.

The focus now shifts to the Utsunomiya District Court, which will hold a retrial. The prosecution has already admitted that the arrest and indictment were erroneous, and is expected to call for a not guilty ruling in the retrial. Thus the retrial may end soon, without questioning people involved in the investigation.

Even if it takes a lot of time, the district court should use the retrial as a chance to find out how the police and public prosecutors erred in their investigation 17 years ago, how Mr. Sugaya was forced to make false confessions, and why the court could not detect the false charge. Otherwise, the credibility of the judiciary will be greatly tarnished.

The Japan Times Weekly: July 4, 2009
(C) All rights reserved
 

1990年に栃木県足利市で女児が殺害された事件の犯人として無期懲役が確定、服役中だった菅家利和さんに対し、東京高裁は再審開始を決定した。DNA再鑑定で冤罪の疑いが出てきたからだ。菅家さんは第一審で自白を撤回していたが、宇都宮地裁は1993年、DNA鑑定に基づき無期懲役判定を下し、2000年に最高裁で刑が確定した。

再審請求を受けた東京高裁は2008年に再鑑定を決定、検察側と弁護側それぞれが推薦した鑑定人2人が出した結果は、DNAの不一致だった。

弁護団は、冤罪の原因解明のため警察庁科学警察研究所技官らの証人尋問を請求したが、高裁はそれに応じず、再審の迅速化を優先した。

地裁の再審が注目されるが、どれだけ時間がかかっても、地裁は再審裁判で警察、検察、裁判所が失態を招いた原因を究明し、司法の信用が地に落ちるのを防ぐべきだ。

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