bikkle wrote:Japanese Cops Raid Marine's HomePolice searched Brown's off-base home in the city of Gushikawa and his office in Camp Courtney, both on Okinawa Island.
The raids came a day after the United States refused to hand over Maj. Michael J. Brown to Japanese authorities, saying he must first be indicted.
also: Okinawa police search U.S. Marine major's residence, office
US Marine in Okinawa given suspended sentence for molestation
Japan Today, July 8...
The prosecutors had sought a three-year prison term for Maj Michael Brown, 41, on charges of attempted rape and property destruction, but the court dismissed the attempted rape charge and found the defendant guilty of attempted molestation and property damage....
The trial took an unusual turn after the woman testified that she wanted to see the charges against Brown dropped, saying she did not want to press them in the first place.
Despite the woman's own testimony, the prosecutors said a "strict" punishment was necessary.
Brown lodged an appeal twice to have the judge removed from the case.
Brown's lawyer, Takashi Takano, said they will "carefully consider" whether to appeal the ruling.
Koshin Iraha, chief of criminal investigations of the Okinawa prefectural police, refrained from commenting on the court's decision not to recognize the attempted rape charge.
Norio Mizutani, a professor on criminal law at Osaka University, praised the court's decision to punish Brown for his action, but also said the decision to punish him for attempted molestation is "rather questionable."
According to the ruling, Brown tried to molest the woman on the morning of Nov 2, 2002, in a car in the city of Gushikawa. He was also found guilty of throwing the woman's cellphone into a river after she tried to call the police..