SAITAMA (TR) – A 25-year-old man accused in the kidnapping and confining of a young girl for a two-year year began babbling nonsense during his trial last week, causing a delay in the ruling, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Aug. 29).
At the Saitama District Court on August 29, presiding judge Satomi Matsubara delayed the ruling after Kabu Terauchi said such things as “I am a forest fairy” and “I’m really an amoeba.”
The judge deferred the ruling until the defendant receives a psychiatric evaluation. The prosecution is seeking a 15-year prison term in the case.
On March 10, 2014, Terauchi allegedly kidnapped the girl using his vehicle in Asaka City, Saitama Prefecture and confined her at his residence in Chiba Prefecture, according to the indictment. The girl was later held at a different residence in Tokyo’s Nakano Ward.
On March 27, 2016, the girl fled the Nakano residence through an unlocked door. She then managed to make a call form a public telephone at JR Higashi-Nakano Station.
The following day, police found the defendant in Shizuoka Prefecture after he apparently attempted to take his own life by slashing himself with a knife. He was arrested several days later upon his release from a hospital.
Diagnosed with schizophrenia
The girl, who is now 16, continue to suffer from severe emotional trauma due to the incident.
During the trial, Terauchi admitted to abducting the girl but also claimed to only have confined her for a few weeks. The defense has said that the defendant cannot take responsibility for the crimes since he has been diagnosed with schizophrenia by a doctor from another court.
A date for the resumption of the trial has not been set.
