TOKYO (TR) – The Tokyo Fire Department on Friday announced that a fireman has resigned after being suspended from duty over an incident in which he molested and illicitly filmed four woman during a drunken rampage in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture earlier this year, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Mar. 31).
At around 4:50 p.m. on February 4, the fireman, a 28-year-old sergeant at the Shakujii Fire Station, located in Nerima Ward, grabbed the lower body of a woman, 29, near an exit of JR Kawagoe Station. Shortly thereafter, he took illicit video up the skirt of a girl, 15, in the same vicinity with his smartphone.
About five minutes later, the sergeant came up from behind another woman, 25, and bear-hugged her while fondling her body. At 5:05 p.m., he grabbed the lower body of yet another woman, 35, inside the station building. The last victim telephoned police.
The fireman, who was intoxicated at the time, was subsequently arrested by responding officers on suspicion of sexual assault and violating a public nuisance ordinance, according to NHK (Mar. 31).
The sergeant was released from custody with a suspended indictment on March 7. In two of the four cases, settlements out of court are in the process of being reached.
In the announcement, the department indicated that the sergeant had been suspended for a six-month period, but he has chosen to resign from his post.
The results of internal investigation revealed that the sergeant had consumed large quantities of alcohol at a friend’s wedding party prior to the incident. He told the investigating parties that he “does not remember” what happened thereafter.
A representative of the department said: “We would like to extend a deep apology [for the incident]. We will strive to regain the public’s trust by strictly instructing and training staff.”
