TOKYO (TR) – A 40-year-old man has been arrested over the alleged sexual assault of a woman in her residence in Machida City after giving her a drink mixed with a sleeping pill.
The incident took place while Hiroaki Sudo, 40, was visiting the apartment of the victim, aged in her 20s, to repair her air conditioner, police said, reports Fuji News Network (Sep. 13).
Upon his arrest on suspicion of non-consensual sexual intercourse, Sudo denied the allegations. “I know nothing [about the incident],” the suspect was quoted by police.
Between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on August 26, Sudo entered the residence to repair the air conditioner. He is believed to have left the residence once in the middle of the repair.
When he returned, he handed the victim a drink laced with sleeping powder and said, “It’s hot, so have a drink.” After consuming the beverage, the woman became dizzy and her arms and legs became weak. She then became sleepy and lost consciousness. The suspect is alleged to have then sexually assaulted her.
At around 4:00 p.m. that same day, the victim’s housemate returned home and found her in a drowsy state and called police. It was later discovered through the D1D Plus test kit, which detects date rape drugs, that she had been drugged.
Sudo had also visited the woman’s apartment to repair the air conditioner about a year ago. On this occasion, the woman had specifically requested the air conditioner be repaired through a real estate agent.
Sudo was identified as a suspect the agent’s records and security camera footage, police said.
