The Nicola Furlong murder trial in Japan once again highlighted the spectre of drinks-spiking. But just how much of a danger is it posing in the pubs and clubs of Ireland, wonders John Hearne

A guilty verdict has been returned for the man accused of strangling Wexford student Nicola Furlong, with the Tokyo court sentencing American Richard Hinds to a maximum prison term of 10 years with labour.

The family of Nicola Furlong, the Irish student murdered in Japan, have said their daughter’s life was worth more than the five to 10 years in jail her killer will serve.

Nicola Furlong's family have said their daughter’s life was worth more than the five to 10 years in jail her killer will serve.

The family of Nicola Furlong have described as a "travesty" a five-10-year sentence handed down to the man who murdered her, Richard Hinds.

Richard Hinds has been found guilty of the murder of Irish student Nicola Furlong in Japan.

The father of murdered student Nicola Furlong has called on the court to hand her alleged killer the harshest sentence possible, and claimed Richard Hinds was still “harming Nicola’s dignity” through his conduct.

If convicted of murdering Nicola Furlong, Richard Hinds could face up to 10 years in an adult prison, where he may be forced to sleep on tatami mat floors without heating in winter, bath communally, and be required to undertake educational programmes aimed at understanding the grief of his victim’s family.

Prosecutors in the case of Richard Hinds, who is standing trial for the murder of Irish student Nicola Furlong, have demanded the maximum punishment permissible for a man who had shown “no remorse” and “huge disrespect” towards the victim and her family.

The man standing trial for sexually assaulting a college friend of Irishwoman Nicola Furlong was sentenced to three years with labour, with the presiding judge Masayuki Yamada saying the assault had been carried out to fulfil a “desire”.

Prosecutors in Tokyo have demanded the maximum possible 10-year jail term for the 19-year-old accused of murdering Irish student Nicola Furlong.

The prosecution and defense have been delivering their closing arguments in the trial into the murder of Irish student Nicola Furlong in Japan today.

The man accused of strangling Nicola Furlong told prosecutors that he was a “gentleman” who “felt sorry” for the family of the DCU student.

The father of Nicola Furlong said his "blood was boiling" as he listened to evidence in the trial of the man accused of killing his daughter in Tokyo last year.

The man accused of the murder of Irish student, Nicola Furlong, in Japan has admitted to having both his hands around her neck on the night she died.

The man accused of strangling Nicola Furlong said the DCU student had demanded “rough sex” and “moaned” when he pressed her neck.

The man accused of killing Irish exchange student Nicola Furlong in Tokyo last year has sharply contradicted the prosecution account of the events leading up to her death.

The man accused of murdering Irish student Nicola Furlong in Tokyo last year has taken the stand at his trial.

A former girlfriend of the man accused of strangling Nicola Furlong has said the accused, American musician Richard Hinds, was a “sweet” man who “wouldn’t hurt a fly”.

The father of Nicola Furlong has said it has been difficult hearing evidence given in defence of the man charged with the murder of his daughter in Japan.

An American forensics expert told a Tokyo court yesterday that she found “no major mistakes” in the autopsy report of Irishwoman Nicola Furlong. She agreed that the exchange student had been strangled in a Tokyo hotel last May but disputed certain statements made by the author of the report.

The close friend of Nicola Furlong who was with her on the night of her death broke down in tears as she told a Tokyo court she believed drinks spiked with drugs were the reason the two of them blacked out after drinking with the man accused of strangling Ms Furlong and another man standing trial for assaulting the unidentified Irishwoman last May.

The friend of Nicola Furlong broke down in court in Japan today as she re-lived the night her friend was killed.

A key witness in the trial against the man accused of killing Nicola Furlong in Tokyo yesterday said postmortems confirmed the Co Wexford student had been strangled.

Nicola Furlong’s father said he will take the footage of his daughter’s last hours alive to his grave.

The doctor who carried out an autopsy on the body of Irishwoman Nicola Furlong in Tokyo has said she was conscious and had fought back while she was being strangled.

A forensic expert has told the Nicola Furlong trial it is clear to him that she was killed.

The drugs found in Nicola Furlong's system have been ruled out as factors in her death.

The mother of murdered Irish exchange student has said she is finding some relief by looking directly at the man accused of killing her.

The second day in the trial of an American musician accused of killing Wexford exchange student Nicola Furlong in Tokyo gets under way this morning.

The family of Nicola Furlong came face to face with the student’s alleged killer for the first time yesterday, when the trial of the American musician Richard Hinds began in Tokyo.

The trial of an American musician accused of killing 21-year-old Wexford student Nicola Furlong began in Tokyo today. We look back at how the story unfolded.

A man accused of killing an Irish exchange student in Tokyo has shown no remorse and should be punished severely, Japanese prosecutors said today.

The family of a murdered Irish exchange student will come face-to-face with the man accused of her killing at his trial in Japan today.

The family of a murdered foreign exchange student will today come face-to-face with the man accused of her killing at his trial in Japan.

The family of murdered Irish exchange student Nicola Furlong will tomorrow come face-to-face with the man accused of her killing at his trial in Japan.

The family of Nicola Furlong flew out to Japan last night for the trial into her killing in Tokyo last May.

The heartbroken family of murdered Irish exchange student Nicola Furlong is making a tense trip to Japan for the trial of the man accused of the killing.

The family of murdered Irishwoman Nicola Furlong said their lives have been on hold since the student was found dead in a Tokyo hotel last year.

Prosecutors in Tokyo have called for a four-year sentence for one of the men implicated in crimes last May against two Irishwomen, one of whom, Nicola Furlong, was found strangled in a Tokyo hotel.

Almost 1,200 Irish people have died while on holidays or living abroad since the start of 2007 — with 194 losing their lives in the past 12 months.

An Irishwoman has given evidence to a Tokyo court about her sexual assault and the rape and killing of exchange student Nicola Furlong earlier this year.

The father of slain Irishwoman Nicola Furlong spoke of his anguish at her death, saying he is unable to visit her grave or disturb her bedroom.

The sister of murdered Nicola Furlong has revealed how she had her sister’s face tattooed on the inside of her left arm next to her heart as a constant reminder of her sibling.