J-Police Now Assisting Suicides

[kurohinge1]

Kerosene-soaked man dies after being given lighter in Japanese police station

Originally Posted by AFP

TOKYO (AFP) — A Japanese man who had doused himself with kerosene in front of police died of burns after asking to smoke during interrogation, police and reports said Monday.

Hifumi Kubota, 45, was taken for questioning to a police station in the central Japanese city of Nagoya on Saturday after a woman who was living with him told police that he was acting violently.

When officers came to his house, "he poured kerosene over himself in front of police," a police spokesman said.

Kubota refused to change his kerosene-soaked clothes at the police station and asked to smoke during questioning, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun and other Japanese media.

Despite no-smoking rules in the building, a police official gave him a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. When Kubota stood up, his right knee was ablaze and he quickly turned into a fireball, the reports said . . .
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I love the way that's worded - like violation of the no-smoking rule was the crime, rather than handing a kerosene-soaked man a lighter. Negligent homicide, anyone?

[Catoneinutica]

Originally Posted by kurohinge1

Kerosene-soaked man dies after being given lighter in Japanese police station



I love the way that's worded - like violation of the no-smoking rule was the crime, rather than handing a kerosene-soaked man a lighter. Negligent homicide, anyone?

In the real world, yes. TIJ, though, so just more of the usual antics of the intergalactically incompetent J-Keystones.

-catone
-I wonder if J-cops are, in general, so bloody stupid because their partners the yaks handle the more complex cases.

[Behan]

Just think, that cop is(was) carrying a gun.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Are we even sure that the guy really lit himself on fire?

[Midwinter]

You simply can't write comedy like this

[Greji]

Originally Posted by Midwinter

You simply can't write comedy like this

You got it Mid- I mean keystone kops or what?
"Hey, how about a hit bro?"

[james]

this cop really should have gotten.. fired .. for his incompetence.

[Sensei]

The wording of this story when it first appeared was far better:

At some point, Kubota gained access to a lighter and subsequently caught fire.

You gotta figure this was the first version of the story that the police released. "Gee whiz, while locked in a police detention cell, he just somehow happened to 'gain access' to a lighter, whaddaya know? How in the world could that have happened?" As if they had nothing to do with it.

[Mulboyne]

Why would you let a guy sit there soaked in kerosene in the first place? Surely you get him to strip and then set a fire hose on him first if only for the fun of it.

[alicia454]

When officers came to his house, "he poured kerosene over himself in front of police," a police spokesman said.

Considering the ethics of the Japanese police, who torture suspects regularly, I am still not convinced that the police did not deliberately light him on purpose during questioning, or even initially doused him with the kerosene. (Sign this confession immediately or you will burn!)

There doesn't seem to be any other witnesses (other than the corrupt police) at the police station or his home. I doubt there is any video as well.

The fact is, the police should be directly responsible for those in custody. And even if the man did indeed soak himself in kerosene and ignited himself, the police are still guilty of negligent homicide for handing him a lighter.