Court acquits businessman of woman’s death

THE father of murdered British woman Lucie Blackman said his daughter had been robbed of justice yesterday after a court cleared a Japanese businessman of involvement in her death.

Property developer Joji Obara, 54, was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of a series of rapes and the death of an Australian woman.

But the Tokyo District Court acquitted him of all charges relating to Ms Blackman, 21, from Kent, who disappeared in July 2000 while working as a bar hostess in Tokyo.

Her father, Tim Blackman, blamed Obara’s acquittal on failures by prosecution lawyers and demanded an appeal in the case.

“I’m afraid to say the lack of justice for us today has been the failure of the prosecution team to develop the case adequately,” Mr Blackman said. “There is nothing that will change that Lucie is dead, but in many respects Lucie has been robbed of her justice.”

In court, Mr Blackman and his 27-year-old daughter, Sophie, sat a few feet behind Obara and remained composed as the verdict was translated.

Ms Blackman’s mother, Jane Steare, could not cope with coming face to face with Obara and decided to stay in Kent. Following the verdict, she said: “I just can’t believe this verdict.

The body of the former British Airways flight attendant was discovered in a cave in February 2001, after a seven-month search, near Obara’s apartment. The prosecution alleged Obara drugged and raped Ms Blackman before she died. It was then alleged he chopped up her body into pieces and encased her head in concrete at his apartment.

Australian news website Perth Now reported that Judge Tsutomu Tochigi said: “There is nothing to prove that he was involved in the rape and her death. The court cannot prove he was single-handedly involved in her death.”

The 1,600 days Obara has already served will be deducted from his sentence and he may be eligible for parole after 10 years.

Ms Steare attacked her ex-husband Mr Blackman’s decision to accept £450,000 (€661,000) “blood money” from Obara’s friend and accused him of undermining the prosecution case.

But Matt Searle, from the Lucie Blackman Trust, said: “The judge in his summing up said the condolence payments paid to any of the victims’ families were not taken into account at all in the verdicts.”