Current Events > Police furious after rapist arrested 4 days after statute of limitations expired

(+) Yeah! (+)

On Oct 6, 2009, a 17-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on the grounds of a Shinto shrine in Miyamae Ward, Kawasaki City. The rapist was never found.

The case had gone cold for the next 10 years until Oct 9, 2019, when DNA matching the suspect in this case was found when 38-year-old So Kurokawa of nearby Yokohama City was arrested on a completely unrelated charge. However, in a truly bitter stroke of bad luck, the statute of limitations for the rape had expired on Oct 5 - only four days earlier.

And so, police were forced to let the suspect go at that time.

Refusing to let this slide, the police quickly took action and began investigating all of Kurokawas movements over the past 10 years, aware of a technicality in the Japanese law that states a statute of limitations is suspended whenever the suspect is not on Japanese soil.

This meant that time was of the essence, as they had already lost four days and had no idea if the suspect had ever gone abroad, let alone for how long.

In the end, they found that over the past 10 years he had stepped outside the country on a number of occasions totaling about two months overseas. This gave them ample time to swoop in and make the arrest on Nov 12. Kurokawa is currently denying the charges saying, I dont remember.

With a last-minute move against a ticking clock, this arrest seems straight out of a TV show and many online felt the same.

I remember hearing about the statute of limitations thing on a detective show, but never saw it in real life.

Im glad they caught him, but whats the point of the statute of limitations in the first place?

This was in Detective Conan once.

What kind of creepy defense is, I dont remember supposed to be? Wouldnt any normal innocent person just say I didnt do it, instead?

That happened in Final Cut with Kazuya Kamenashi!

In the event that a conviction has to be made within the two-month extension, the DNA evidence and weak denial of the suspect should make it relatively easy. A successful ID by the victim will also help, but unfortunately cause her to revisit that dark time once again.


Full Article: https://japantoday.com/category/crime/man-arrested-for-rape-4-days-after-statute-of-limitations-expired
https://i.imgur.com/05uGNwO.jpg

Really does feel like a cop show here
---

Man that was smart of them to find a loophole like that
---

Wish our police were like this

---

I thought that their investigation was going to show that he raped others more recently than 10 years, but it's cool that "time stops" when outside Japan, and they could get him that way.
---

ArmieBuff posted...

_MorningStar posted...

Man that was smart of them to find a loophole like that

This is like something that Phoenix Wright would do.

This actually comes up in one of the Investigations cases lol
---

This is ripped straight fromAce Attorney Investigations 2 wtf

---

We don't have statute of limitations here in Australia. If you are 3, and pinch a candy bar, the owner has the rest of his natural life to decide if he wants to press charges.
---

Irony posted...

Wish our police were like this

Our police do indeed do stuff like this ever hear of the RICO arrests? If they can't get a suspect on the crime they want to get them on they'll get them on taxes and shit it's how they took down the mob
---

japan really needs to change "statue of limitation laws". doesn't matter if it's 25 years from now. if the criminal is still alive they still have to face being sentenced.
---

UnfairRepresent posted...

Kurokawa is currently denying the charges saying, I dont remember.

*rolls eyes*

Nobody "can't remember" whether they've raped someone or not. It's not something somebody would forget.
---

kingdrake2 posted...

japan really needs to change "statue of limitation laws". doesn't matter if it's 25 years from now. if the criminal is still alive they still have to face being sentenced.

Eh

I think statue of limitation laws make a lot of sense

Whether they should cover rape or murder? Yeah probably not

but arresting a 52 year old because he went for a joyride when he was 18 and never repeated the action isn't justice it's just a waste of time and money. Also opens a floodgate to threaten and blackmail any political figure in the world.

I mean Bush and Obama admited they did cocaine and pot. That's a felony right there. No statue of limitations? They should both be arrested tomorrow.
---