SAITAMA (TR) – Saitama Prefectural Police have arrested a top bicycle racer over the alleged sexual assault of a female acquaintance in Kawaguchi City on Monday, reports Fuji News Network (May 26).
At around 12:35 a.m., Keita Ebine, 43, is alleged to have fondled the body of the woman, aged in her 20s, inside a bar.
The Kawaguchi Police Station did not reveal whether Ebine or the second suspect admit to allegations of indecent assault.
At around 9:00 p.m. the day before, Ebine started drinking with the woman and others at the bar, which was not officially open.
The bar is managed by the suspect’s acquaintance, 42-year-old Yosuke Kikuchi. The manager was also arrested in the case.
After the incident, the woman alerted police by telephone. “I was molested by a man,” she reportedly said.
Keirin circuit
In 2001, Ebine made his debut on the keirin racing circuit. He won the Keirin Grand Prix in 2009. That year, his accumulated earnings exceeded 200 million yen.
Ebine is ranked S1, the second-highest on the circuit. Prior to drinking with the group on May 23, he finished sixth in a race held in Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture.
