AICHI (TR) – A 44-year-old man accused of forcing a woman to drink a large amount of alcohol and attempting to sexual assault her before her death three years ago has denied the allegations at the opening of his trial here, reports Kyodo News (Mar. 2).
At the Nagoya District Court on Monday, Hiroki Itaya, who lives in Nagoya’s Minato Ward, denied allegations of indecent assault causing death and kidnapping for indecent purposes.
“It is true that the woman died as a result of my outward actions, but I had absolutely no indecent intent,” Itoya told the Nagoya District Court.
On May 7, 2023, Itaya allegedly forced the woman, 25, to drink 32 shots of tequila at a bar in Nagoya’s Naka Ward, according to the indictment.
The defendant then allegedly took the woman to a lodging facility in the ward where he attempted to have sex with her. However, he gave up when he realized she was in a critical condition.
On June 21, she died from hypoxic encephalopathy due to acute alcohol poisoning.
“You can still drink, right?”
In its opening statement, the prosecution pointed out that Itaya instructed a bartender at the bar to call out to the woman, whom he had never met before. He then had her drink the 32 shots of tequila over the course of approximately 90 minutes. During the session, he encouraged her to keep going. He asked, “You can still drink, right?”
The prosecution also stated that Itaya made sexual advances, including inviting her to a hotel and touching her breasts over her clothes.
The defense argued for innocence, saying that there was no indecent intent.
“Half-criminals”
A report appearing on the site for weekly tabloid Flash in 2023 says that Itaya is the former leader of a bosozoku motorcycle gang who currently leads a gang of so-called “half-criminals.”
According to the article, he and members of his gang have been accused of theft and robbery on numerous occaions. In 2019, he was accused of smuggling counterfeit department store gift certificates.
