Rapist avoids jail time by agreeing to wear GPS tracking device
The Yomiuri reports on a sex offender who has been set free:
In what might possibly be encouraging moves toward new legislation to combat sex offenses, the defendant in a case of rape resulting in bodily injury has given a written pledge to a court to wear a Global Positioning System tracking device to enable the victim to pinpoint his location at any moment, it was learned Saturday.
The 26-year-old defendant won the Tokyo District Court’s approval to allow the pledge as “admissible evidence,” with the result being that he received a suspended prison term.
The unusual court proceedings have gained prominence, since the government has been considering mandating the use of GPS monitoring devices among repeat sex offenders as a way of preventing recidivism and alleviating the anxiety of sex crime victims.
The man had been indicted on charges of repeatedly pounding the head of a 19-year-old woman, with whom he became acquainted at a music concert, on the floor of his home before trying to rape her in May.
In the first public hearing of the case in December, the defendant fully admitted the facts presented by the prosecution in the indictment, and promised not to approach the woman for the rest of his life.
During subsequent out-of-court negotiations, the woman’s attorney conveyed to the man her demand that he carry with him a GPS-competent cell phone to ensure she was able to know his location at all times.
Assuming the man actually keeps his promise and wears the device at all time, the victim should be able to confirm he is always far away. However, if he were to choose to target another victim, there would not be much stopping him….
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