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

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 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.

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.