SAITAMA (TR) – Saitama Prefectural Police last week dismissed a former officer who used a police database to gain access to personal information of a woman whom he later sexually assaulted, reports Jiji Press (Oct. 31).
On the night of August 26, Koji Tono, then an officer for a railway division, allegedly posed as a representative from a real estate company in gaining access to the address of the woman, aged in her 20s, in Minami Ward, Saitama City.
The suspect then allegedly fondled her body, police said.
Tono, who was arrested on suspicion of indecent assault on October 10, denied the allegations. “I entered the residence, but I did not touch her body,” the suspect was quoted by police.
On October 31, police dismissed Tono from his post after he was prosecuted for the crime. “I’m really sorry for making the victim scared,” he was quoted.
At the time of incident, Tono, who headed a division tasked with handling chikan (molestation) and theft cases that take place inside railway stations and carriages, was off-duty.
Previously, he accessed a database at his place of work to learn the names and addresses of several woman, including the victim.
“It was an act that betrays the expectations of the citizens of the prefecture, and we apologize deeply to those who have been victimized and to the citizens of the prefecture,” said a representative of the Saitama police.
