US marine jailed for seven years for sexual assault in Japan
A court in Japan has sentenced a US marine to seven years in prison after finding him guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in Okinawa last year.Lance Cpl Jamel Clayton, 22, attacked the woman in her 20s, choking her from behind and attempting sexual intercourse, the court ruled.The case is one of a string involving US servicemen based in the Okinawa archipelago, where more than half of the 54,000 US soldiers serving in Japan are based.Previous crimes committed by American personnel have sparked anger and protests by locals in Okinawa, the largest of which took place 30 years ago, when tens of thousands took to the street following the rape of a 12-year-old girl.
In the last year alone, there have been four sexual assault cases involving US service members in Okinawa, including air force member Brennon Washington, who was given five years for the rape and kidnapping of an underage girl by a court in December 2024.Prosecutors in Tuesday's case had asked for 10 years for Clayton, according to Stars and Stripes, which covers US military news.Clayton had denied all the charges against him. His defence had pointed to the young woman's "intoxication" and inconsistencies in her story during the trial earlier in June.But judges at Naha District Court gave Clayton, of Ohio, seven years in prison after finding the victim's testimonies had "a high-level of credibility throughout", Kyodo news agency reported.During sentencing, Judge Kazuhiko Obata described the attack as "vicious", with the woman being choked for one to two minutes, Stars and Stripes said.According to Kyodo, the woman sustained injuries to her eyes which took two weeks to heal.Local opposition to the US bases goes beyond just the criminal cases, extending to aircraft noise and pollution.There have been previous efforts to move the US bases to less populated parts of Okinawa, but many locals want them removed altogether.Experts, however, say Japan's military alliance with the US is too strong for that to happen. And they say Tokyo needs Washington given the challenges it faces, be it China's growing claims over disputed waters and islands, or North Korea's missile tests.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Israel-Iran live: Israel 'embarrassed' by Trump's public telling-off - as Netanyahu hails 'historic victory'
Explained: From 'Make Iran Great Again' to a sudden ceasefire - how Trump's words marked a U-turn The past 36 hours or so have seen the Middle East teeter on the brink, only for Israel and Iran to agree a sudden - but fragile - ceasefire. At the centre of it all has been Donald Trump, whose posts on social media - often written in block capital letters and with plenty of exclamation marks - have had major geopolitical implications. Here's a quick recap of the week so far, shaped through the president's own words: 'MIGA!!!' Late on Sunday - and just a day after the US struck nuclear sites in Iran - Trump hinted at regime change, warning the country's leaders must "MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN". 'Bullseye!!!' He followed that up in the early hours of Monday with another post on Truth Social, this time hailing the "monumental damage" done to Iran's nuclear sites. "Obliteration is an accurate term," he wrote, adding "bullseye!!!". Dig at the 'fake news' He doubled down on the above claim - just as a US military base in Qatar came under attack from Iran in retaliation. He wouldn't address that attack in this social media post, instead he took aim at "the Fake News" for seemingly not sticking to his claim that targets were "totally destroyed" in Iran. 'Very weak response' But little more than an hour later, he finally addressed the Iranian attack on a US base, which Washington said caused no damage. He described it as a "very weak response", adding no US soldiers were hurt and thanking Iran for warning them of the impending attack. The sudden ceasefire Then it came - at around 11pm last night, Trump claimed Iran and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire. That came mere hours after Iran attacked the US base, with the president writing "CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE" as he toasted the truce. The F-bomb But his apparently cheery mood wouldn't last, as reports came in of an Israeli attack as the truce was due to come into effect this morning. A visibly angry Trump told reporters he has "got to get Israel to calm down", before he dropped a bomb of his own. "We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f*** they're doing," he said. Warning for Israel Trump, who was said to have "direct" words for Israel's prime minister, posted again, insisting there will be no more attacks on Iran. "All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly 'Plane Wave' to Iran," he wrote, before separately adding Iran will never rebuild their nuclear facilities. Gushing texts It didn't stop there. This afternoon, he shared what he said was a message from NATO chief Mark Rutte. "Congratulations and thank you for your decisive action on Iran," reads the effusive screenshot. An 'honour' And most recently, he wrote: "Both Israel and Iran wanted to stop the War, equally! It was my great honor to Destroy All Nuclear facilities & capability, and then, STOP THE WAR!" He's now attending the NATO summit in the Netherlands, but there's every chance we will hear more from him in the meantime. We'll bring you the latest as he speaks - or types.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Early US intel assessment suggests strikes on Iran did not destroy nuclear sites, CNN reports
WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - An early U.S. intelligence assessment indicated that the U.S. military strikes on three of Iran's nuclear facilities last week did not destroy the core components of Tehran's nuclear program and likely only set it back by months, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing three people briefed on it. "This alleged assessment is flat-out wrong," CNN quoted White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt as saying.
The Review Geek
2 hours ago
- The Review Geek
Hunter with A Scalpel – K-drama Episode 5 Recap & Review
Episode 5 Episode 5 of Hunter with A Scalpel starts with a little girl named Se-eun celebrating her birthday with her mother when a man storms into the house and drags the mother away, beating her up. At present, Jung-hyun and his colleagues go through CCTV footage from both murders. Meanwhile, Se-hyun goes to see a new apartment. It's small and simple and she tells the realtor she wants to move in right away. Elsewhere, Oh Min-ho's girlfriend, Da-yeon, tells the cops that Se-hyun treated him quite badly. She even mentions the Nam Seung-hyeop case. We then see the realtor sitting and chatting with Mr Choi. She asks him to fix the lock on her apartment door because a new tenant wants to move in immediately. Mr Choi has a knowing look and agrees to do it later that night. He says it is his wife and child's death anniversary. After going through the CCTV footage, Jung-hyun decides to investigate Min-ho's route in Seoul. He calls Se-hyun on the way and tells her that her forensic office has been confirmed at Yongcheon Hospital. He asks when she's arriving and she lies, saying she'll come the following day. Se-hyun then goes to the spot where Min-ho's body was found in the suitcase. She sees a flyer on a pole that advertises a person-finding service. She then visualises the little girl dragging the suitcase there and sticking the flyer on. A flashback takes us back to the scene with little Se-eun. Mr Choi comes out of the bedroom and we see the mother's bloody body inside. He walks towards Se-eun but she suddenly grabs a towel and begins to clean up his bloody footprints. He looks at her curiously. Se-hyun then gets on a bus. On the way, she suddenly sees a vision of Min-ho and recalls the man in the bucket hat sitting at the back of the bus. At present, the man turns out to be behind her as well. He reaches out a hand and calls her Se-eun. Although, this seems to be a vision as well. Meanwhile, Jung-hyun traces Min-ho's path in Seoul. The CCTV shows the man in the black bucket hat walking in a different direction and then reappearing sometime later. Jung-hyun walks to a tiny alley where the CCTV footage ends. He comes across Se-hyun over there. In a snowy field somewhere else, Mr Choi waits outside his white truck until a little girl calls him inside, saying it's ready. He goes in and begins working on the body of the woman from the final scene of the previous episode. Jung-hyun and Se-hyun go to a restaurant and discuss the case. Jung-hyun says that the suspect knows Yongcheon like the back of his hand. Se-hyun then gets a call from her colleague who says that pancuronium has been detected in both bodies. However, she lies and tells Jung-hyun that nothing was found. On her way home, she tells herself she must find the killer first. Well, it's not going to be easy because a few seconds after this, she comes by a woman's dead body in the middle of the road. It's Mr Choi's latest victim, dressed in white, and featuring a severed foot which has been tied to the rest of her body with thread. She gets flashes from the past of the doll she had as a kid. She recalls stitching up the doll's limbs. Se-hyun then gets a phone call from a hidden number that turns out to be none other than Mr Choi, her father. He wishes her a happy birthday and taunts her about the murders. As he talks, Se-hyun hears a sound and follows it to find an open suitcase with some gimbap sitting neatly on top of it. Mr Choi tells her to eat and she makes it clear she's going to play his game — and win. She then eats the gimbap. The Episode Review Hunter with A Scalpel Episode 5 is the best episode so far! It's fast, thrilling, and incredibly sinister. The episode really taps into its horror side, particularly with Mr. Choi appearing behind her on the bus and the final scene where Se-hyun searches for her father through the maze of dark alleyways. The series also uses a nice technique where we see the past play out as Se-hyun and Jung-hyun are investigating. There are some elements here as well which add to the eeriness as a whole. The story doesn't pull punches with its gore either. It's great to see the show leaning into its creepy side and finally establishing the link between Se-hyun and her father. She doesn't trust Jung-hyun enough to tell him the truth yet and his character doesn't have the same intrigue as Se-hyun. But Se-hyun is now ready to take Mr Choi on and the final scene promises a murderous, psychotic ride as the two go head to head. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
