Japanese court convicts a U.S. Marine in sexual assault, sentencing him to 7 years in prison
The Naha District Court said Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton, 22, of Ohio, was sentenced in the case on Tuesday.
Clayton was found guilty of attacking the woman in her 20s in the Yomitan village on the main Okinawa island in May, 2024, chocking her from behind, sexually assaulting her and causing her injuries.
In sentencing, Judge Kazuhiko Obata said the victim's testimony, provided remotely and anonymously, was highly credible even though the defendant denied his charges brought by the prosecutors, who demanded 10 years in prison, according to Kyodo News.
'This behavior does not reflect the values of the Marine Corps nor does it exemplify the standards the overwhelming majority of our Marines uphold daily,' Capt. Kazuma Engelkemier, spokesperson for 3rd Marine Division, said in a statement confirming Clayton's conviction emailed on Wednesday.
Engelkemier said the U.S. side monitored the trial proceedings without interfering in the Japanese judicial process. 'We cooperated fully with the investigation process,' he said.
The Marine has been in Japanese custody since his indictment that followed the allegation, he added.
The case was one of a string of sexual assault cases last year in which the arrests of the suspects were initially withheld by local authorities on grounds of protecting the victims' privacy, triggering anger and criticisms of coverups.
Okinawa, where one of the fiercest battles of World War II was fought 80 years ago and under U.S. occupation until 1972, remains home to the majority of about 50,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan under a bilateral security pact. The island, which accounts for only 0.6% of Japanese land, hosts 70% of U.S. military facilities.
Frustration runs high on Okinawa because of its continued burden with the heavy U.S. presence that includes noise, pollution, aircraft accidents and crime related to American troops.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, who attended Monday's 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa, raised concerns about recent sexual assault cases involving U.S. service members when he met with Lt. Gen. Roger Turner, the commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, requesting discipline and preventive measures.
There has been growing calls for a revision to the Status of Forces Agreement that gives the United States the right to investigate most accidents and crimes that occur on Japanese soil.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba 's Cabinet on Tuesday adopted a statement showing that the Japanese prosecutors dropped criminal cases against more than 300 U.S. service members in the last decade between 2014 and 2024, including a sexual assault case in Okinawa in 2020.
Yamaguchi writes for the Associated Press. Reeno Hashimoto in Tokyo contributed to this report.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Alberta boy escapes alleged abductor's car in 'catch a predator scheme' police call 'amazingly dangerous'
A 12-year-old boy escaped from the car of an alleged abductor that he and a group of other children arranged to meet as part of a "catch a predator scheme" they had devised on the Snapchat app, according to Alberta RCMP, who are strongly discouraging this type of vigilante activity. The boy was allegedly abducted on Monday evening after getting into the suspect's vehicle in the Coopers Crossing neighbourhood of Airdrie, just north of Calgary. Police said he and a group of at least six other children in the same age range, possibly as many as 10 in total, started a conversation with the suspect and arranged to meet him via Snapchat, without the knowledge of any parents, in an attempt to expose the man as a child predator. "Unfortunately, it didn't go as planned," said RCMP Cpl. Gina Slaney. The 12-year-old boy voluntarily entered the suspect's vehicle so the other youth could record the interaction on video, police said, and the suspect then drove away. The boy later escaped from the vehicle while it was stopped at a red light and called 911. The suspect fled in the vehicle, southbound on Highway 2 toward Calgary. With help from a Calgary police helicopter, he was later located at a home in the city's northeast. Suspect has 'history with police' Airdrie RCMP have now charged a 37-year-old Calgary man, who cannot be named due to a publication ban, with numerous offences including abduction of a person under the age of 14, sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching, kidnapping and forcible confinement, and three counts of breaching a prohibition order. Cpl. Christopher Hrynyk with the Airdrie RCMP's specialized investigation unit said the suspect has "a history with police" and the breach charges relate to "previous investigations which did encapsulate minors being involved." "We've had more than one investigation and file with this offender," added Staff Sgt. Mark Auger with the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team's internet child exploitation unit. Social media trend 'dangerous,' police say Auger said the children's attempt at vigilante justice is part of a "growing trend" on social media that began in the United States and has migrated to Canada. "In my opinion, this all came from the television program To Catch a Predator," he said. Auger said the difference between that long-running American reality show and what people have been doing on social media is that the show involved police officers from the get-go, whereas the social media versions are typically amateur operations that put people at significant risk of harm. "A lot of these setups and these stings will end in violence, in suicide, in sexual assault," he said. The evidence gathered by vigilantes "ad-libbing" their way through online conversations with potential predators also presents "horrendous" challenges for actually prosecuting any alleged crimes, Auger said. "A lot of that will be what we consider tainted evidence because we don't how the script went, how the conversation went. Was it entrapment? Who started the conversation down that road?" Police also urged parents to have conversations with their kids about online behaviour like this. "It's amazingly dangerous what happened with this incident," Auger said.
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US court drops hefty fine for Trump and sons, fraud conviction upheld
A New York appeals court on Thursday overturned a nearly half-billion-dollar fine against US President Donald Trump, saying it was "excessive," but upheld his guilty verdict for fraud. The judges found the hefty judgement in violation of the US Constitution, numerous US media outlets reported. A new penalty must now be determined. Trump, his sons, and several employees were ordered last year to pay $454 million in a New York fraud trial. With interest, the total amount continued to rise. The court found that Trump manipulated the value of his Trump Organization by billions of dollars over the years to secure more favourable loans and insurance contracts. The appeals court ruled that the actual link between profit and damage had not been sufficiently demonstrated. The fine, it said, was not based on a reasonable estimate. Eric Trump, one of the president's sons, portrayed the decision as a victory, particularly over New York Attorney General Letitia James. "Total victory in the sham NY Attorney General case!!! After 5 years of hell, justice prevailed!" he wrote. The court did not throw out the case, as the Trump family had wanted, but kept the fraud conviction, which the New York Times noted is "an ignominious distinction for a sitting American president."
American Press
33 minutes ago
- American Press
What to know about the Menendez brothers' parole hearings
Lyle and Erik Menendez are scheduled to face separate parole hearings beginning Thursday in California and — depending on the outcomes — could eventually be released from prison nearly 30 years after being convicted of killing their parents. A panel of parole officers will evaluate each of the brothers via videoconference. They'll appear from prison in San Diego. In 1995, a jury convicted both brothers of first-degree murder in the 1989 murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez inside their Los Angeles-area home. The brothers were sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996. They became eligible for parole after a Los Angeles judge in May reduced their sentences from life in prison without the possibility of parole to 50 years to life, making them immediately eligible for parole under California law because they were under the ages of 26 when they committed their crimes. Who are the Menendez brothers and what did they do? Lyle and Erik Menendez are the sons of Jose and Kitty Menendez. Jose Menendez, a Cuban-American business executive who at one time was an executive at RCA Records, moved his family from Princeton, New Jersey, to California when his sons were teenagers. On Aug. 20, 1989, Lyle Menendez dialed 911 to report the shotgun-killings of their parents inside their home. Both brothers told investigators that the murders were related to the Mafia or had something to do with their father's business dealings. At the time, Erik was 18 and Lyle was 21. With access to the family's wealth, the brothers spent small fortunes on Rolex watches, cars and houses. But two months after the killings, Erik Menendez confessed to his psychologist that he and his brother killed their parents. What were the brothers charged with? They were arrested early the following year and each charged with first-degree murder. The brothers claimed their father had emotionally and sexually abused them since childhood. Prosecutors contended that getting hold of their father's money was the motive behind the couple's killings. The brothers' first trial started in 1993. Their attorneys never disputed the pair killed their parents, but argued that they acted out of self-defense. Their trials resulted in hung juries. In 1995, a jury convicted both brothers of three counts, including first-degree murder, plus lying in-wait and special circumstance allegations. They were sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996. How did they spend their years in prison? For years after their conviction, the brothers filed petitions for appeals of their cases while in prison. State and federal judges denied the petitions. The brothers have gotten an education, participated in self-help classes and started various support groups for fellow prisoners. They also launched a prison beautification project inspired by the Norwegian approach to incarceration that believes rehabilitation in humane prisons surrounded by nature leads to successful reintegration into society, even for those who have committed terrible crimes. Over the years, the Menendez case continued to fascinate the public and the young, handsome brothers became celebrities of sorts. They became the subjects of true crime shows, including last year's nine-episode crime drama 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' on Netflix. A few weeks after that was aired, then-LA County District Attorney George Gascón announced he was reviewing new evidence in the case. On Oct. 24, 2024, prosecutors said they will petition the court to resentence the brothers. In May 2025, an LA County Superior Court judge granted them a new sentence of 50 years to life, making them immediately eligible for parole. What will the parole board consider? Erik and Lyle Menendez will be evaluated, individually, by a panel of two or three parole hearing officers. Erik's hearing is scheduled Thursday morning. Lyle's will be held Friday. The board will assess whether the brothers pose an 'unreasonable risk of danger to society' if released, considering factors like criminal history, motivation for the crime, signs of remorse, behavior while in prison and plans for the future, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Nearly all of the Menendez family support the brothers' release from prison. Milton Andersen, the brothers' uncle who opposed their release, died from cancer in March. Could one receive parole and not the other? The brothers have separate hearings and will be evaluated independently of each other. Los Angeles trial attorney David Ring has said if one brother was 'a troublemaker' in prison and the other wasn't, it's conceivable that one could stay locked up while the other is freed. But Ring, who's not involved with the Menendez case, said that's unlikely. How soon could they get out? If granted parole, it could be months before the brothers are released from prison. The chief legal counsel has 120 days to review the case. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom then has 30 days to affirm or deny the parole. If he approves it, they could then leave prison. Newsom has not made any statements indicating his position on the case, but said during a May press conference that he has both approved and rejected decisions by the parole board before.
