Lucie Blackman verdict

[harman]

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Really, really shocked. The poor mother. I haven't read the ins and outs but presumably they just didn't have the evidence to convict him on this one? And what was all that about the father accpeting money?? Must read it obv.

oh God, reading it, I don't know how they couldn't convict. What a travesty.

He did it.

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Terrible verdict. Feel so sorry for the family.

I remember being a bit shocked when the news came out a while ago about the father accepting money but I rationalised it that he had spent a fortune on trying find out what had happened as the Japanese police where not particularly helpful. Apparently Richard Branson gave them some free flights too to help out according to Sky News.

They didn't convict because he claimed she'd left his house with one of his equally-dodgy friends (with the implication that the friend probably did it) and the friend has since died so there's nothing to contradict that story. Also probably because they knew they were convicting him of everything else so acquitting on the one charge with less evidence wasn't such a big deal.

He so did it, though. And at least they got him for killing the other girl.

This is awful. I heard her father had accepted "blood money" and jeopardised the trial...

The mother was on This Morning with her legal guy and they said the father has accepted £453000 from the bloke accused of Lucy's murder.

The mother was also offered the same but refused it as she said it was morally wrong and alos that she had been told that any money accepted off the accused could effect the outcomeof the trial, which it obviously has.

Why "obviously has"? The guy's been found not guilty but there doesn't seem to be any official suggestion that it's got diddly-squat to do with the payment. As the judge said, all that had been proved was that they had been together before she vanished, and you can't convict of murder based on that alone. Or can you convict on that evidence if no money has changed hands?

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Lucy's hair was found in this guys house, where videos were also found of him sexually asulting and raping drugged girls. Speaks volumes to me.

i like the idea of greener more ethical products but don't always choose to buy them, greenifying my current products would work best on me, i'm not good at change

wrong thread sorry

It's quite common practice to offer money to the victims family - either from the accused or from a friend of the accused (I think thats what happened here). Often juries aren't told as it can be seen as an admission of guilt in some cases.
Sad her mother and father are attacking each other over this though.

I was shocked at this verdict too - supposedly Lucie left the accused man in the company of some other bloke who has since died and so the story cannot be verified and he gets off on that basis.

And his lawyer says he will be appealing against the other verdict of murder too.

Horrible man

Presumably they aren't seeking anyone else in relation to her detah though. Very sad day for her family.

this is such a terrible case - so awful for everyone concerned. I think the father accepted the money because he spent every penny he had travelling to and from Japan andother things, campaigns for information etc.
The Japanese police force have a great deal to answer for IMO, it sounds like they were worse than useless and actively hampered the case.
I agree with otheres - the evidence against this sadistic bastard would appear to be overwhelming but, unfortunately, circumstantial.

Poor, poor girl.

Shocking! But I hope her father can take heart from the fact that he has single-handedly got this monster off the street.

The money offering is apparently common in Japan and the news piece I saw said he accepted it because he was in danger of losing his house otherwise as he had remortgaged to fund his fight.

I'm totally amazed that Obara has the nerve to appeal his murder conviction when there was video evidence of him keeping her drugged in his flat!

In his ruling the presiding judge, Tsutomu Tochigi, acknowledged it was proven that Obara met Lucie and that she subsequently disappeared and was found dead. But he said it was not established beyond all doubt that Obara killed her or that, if he did so, he acted alone.

The above explains why he was not convicted of Lucie's murder.

I think an appeal against this verdict is being planned.