TOKYO (TR) – A court here this week handed a former inspector who specializes in fire investigations a suspended prison term for stealing cash following several fires in the capital, reports Nippon News Network (Oct. 16).
On Thursday, the Tokyo District Court handed Ryoji Masano, 51, a three-year prison term, suspended for five years, for stealing a total of approximately 6.4 million yen in cash from homes at the scenes of three fires he visited during his investigations in Tokyo between 2022 and this year.
During his trial, Masano admitted to the charges. Regarding his motive, he said, “I was worried about money, and when the money appeared in front of me, I was tempted and thought, ‘If only I had this money.'”
Regarding his state of mind at the time, he said, “There’s a saying that goes, ‘The net of heaven is wide and loose, but nothing escapes it.’ I knew that if I kept doing this, I’d be found out someday.”
According to police, it has been confirmed that Masano carried out the same crime eight times between October 2022 and February of this year, stealing a total of approximately 9 million yen. However, since all of the persons who died in the blazes lived alone, it was difficult to verify the facts. As a result, he was not prosecuted in five other cases.
The prosecution demanded a three-year prison sentence: “Masano’s criminal responsibility for committing crimes that undermine the public’s trust in police officers is grave.” Meanwhile, the defense had sought a suspended sentence, arguing that “compensation for the damage has been made and settlements have been reached with all parties.”
Masano was indicted over the theft in June. Police dismissed him in July. In addition, police verbally warned three of his superiors.
The crimes came to light in January when a firefighter witnessed Masano taking 1,000 yen in cash from a pouch at the scene of a fire and putting it in his pocket.
