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Ex-nursery staffer accused in sexual assaults of 2 girls arrested in third case

TOKYO (TR) – A 28-year-old vocational school student in custody over the alleged sexual assault of two girls has been further arrested in a third case, police have revealed, reports TBS News (March 8).

The third case took place at a nighttime nursery in the capital while Hidenori Yoshida was employed part-time.

On nine occasions between April 21 and August 26, 2019, Yoshida took an elemenatary school girl, then 6, to a private room in the nursery and fondled her body. “If you talk, I’ll kill you,” he reportedly threatened.

Upon his arrest on suspicion of indecent assault on Monday, Yoshida admitted to the allegations. “I had feelings of guilt, but I couldn’t utilize restraint,” the suspect told police.

Hidenori Yoshida (Twitter)

He was the only person on staff

Yoshida was employed on a part-time basis at the nursery between January 2019 and that October. The hours extended between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. the next day. During the aforementioned crimes, he was the only person on staff.

After leaving the nursery, Yoshida was employed part-time at an orphanage. Last December, police arrested the suspect for threatening an elementary school girl at the facility. “If you don’t date me, I’ll kill you,” he reportedly said. He was subsequently released without an indictment.

During the investigation, however, police found a hard disk containing videos showing the sexual abuse of many girls.

On January 15, police first arrested Yoshida over the alleged rape of an 8-year-old girl at the same nurserey. Last month, police accused him of sexually abusing a 4-year-old girl at the same location.