HOKKAIDO (TR) – Police in Sapporo City have arrested a 34-year-old unemployed man for allegedly trespassing into a women’s restroom to secretly film an elderly woman, reports STV News Hokkaido (Sep. 27).
The suspect, a resident of Atsubetsu Ward, is accused of entering the women’s restroom of a supermarket in Shiroishi Ward at around 7:30 a.m. on August 25. According to the Sapporo Atsubetsu Police Station, the man hid inside a stall and waited for a woman to enter the adjacent space.
When a woman in her 70s entered, the suspect slid his smartphone through the gap between the stalls in an attempt to take tosatsu (voyeur) footage of her lower body. However, the resulting video failed to capture a clear image of the victim.
The man’s crimes came to light weeks later after a bizarre incident on September 11. Police were called to a convenience store in Atsubetsu Ward after receiving reports of a man locking himself inside the restroom and refusing to come out.
Responding officers questioned the man and examined his smartphone, which led to the discovery of the failed voyeurism video from the August supermarket incident. He was officially arrested on September 27 for trespassing and attempted voyeurism.
Upon his arrest, the suspect admitted to the allegations. “I have no excuses to make,” he told investigators. “I am filled with regret.”
Police are continuing their investigation and analyzing the suspect’s phone to determine if he is responsible for other similar crimes.
