Old woman sentenced to two years in prison for stealing a plastic eraser
The 70-year-old woman has been sentenced to 2 years in prison for stealing a 98 yen plastic eraser. She was a repeat offender, so she must go to jail:
Presiding Judge Satoshi Miyamoto said the woman had a previous record of shoplifting and other offenses, and the nature of her crime “reflected her experience.”
He accepted the amount in question was negligible, but said the woman could not avoid prison. The woman was released from prison in January and has been living alone on welfare.
It’s common for petty criminals to receive suspended prison sentences in Japan, but I guess this woman never learned her lesson and needs to do some time in the slammer. Sometimes, even serious criminals get off with no prison time, such as : an executive who knowingly built and sold buildings that did not meet earthquake safety standards, a manager whose negligence of sanitation caused six people to die, a music producer who swindled investors out of 500 million yen, and a human trafficker who forced women into prostitution.
[via JapanSoc]
- Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
- dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
- Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)
