In handing down the ruling, Presiding Judge Tatsuya Tosuke blasted Nishioka’s actions.
"The selfish background to the crime warrants no sympathy. The defendant’s actions, such as wiping away his fingerprints at the crime scene, are also malicious. There was no fault on the part of the victim," he said.
According to the ruling, Nishioka had no close friends and was suffering from accumulating debts as he indulged in pachinko. He gradually developed a desire to peep into others’ lives. In February last year, he broke into two apartments in the same condominium complex, and stole 5,000 yen in cash and a USB flash drive.
On April 30 last year, he saw Hasegawa at the entrance to the condominium and got interested in her private life. He broke into her acquaintance’s home and stabbed her in the chest with a knife after she noticed him, the ruling said.
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