NAGASAKI (TR) – Police have re-arrested a 27-year-old occupational therapist on suspicion of assaulting his six-year-old stepdaughter at their home in Nagasaki City.
The latest allegation came as a result of an examination of security camera footage, authorities announced, reports NCC TV (Nov. 9).
According to the Oura Police Station, the suspect is accused of assaulting the first-grade elementary school girl around 12:15 a.m. on October 5, inflicting severe subcutaneous bleeding around her right eye that required two to three weeks to heal.
Upon his arrest, the suspect denied the charges, telling investigators, “I never raised my hand to injure her in any way.”
The suspect had been previously arrested for an earlier incident in which he allegedly struck the girl in the head with his left elbow in a bedroom at around 5:10 a.m. on October 14, causing head contusions. Prosecutors formally indicted him on assault charges on November 5.
The abuse came to light after the victim’s mother reviewed footage recorded by a monitoring camera installed in the bedroom and reported the matter to police.
Over the past year, the girl was repeatedly observed with dark bruises across her face, arms, and legs consistent with being struck or pinched, and she reportedly woke up crying on numerous occasions.
Police confirmed that the suspect is not biologically related to the victim. Investigators believe the child was subjected to routine abuse and are probing the suspect for additional offenses.
