HYOGO (TR) – Hyogo Prefectural Police in March arrested six nurses over the alleged abuse of disabled patients at a hospital in Kobe City over a several-year period.
On March 4, police first accused Motoki Wada, 27, Ryohei Hashimoto, 26, Masashi Takahashi, 34, and three other nurses at Kande Hospital in Nishi Ward of quasi-coerced obscenity and confinement.
All of the suspects have admitted to the allegations. “The reactions of the patients were interesting,” one of the suspects was quoted by police, according to the Sankei Shimbun (Mar. 4). “I did it to relieve job stress.”
Early on October 31, 2018, Wada and two other suspects allegedly forced two male pat forcing two male patients, aged 59 and 62, to kiss each other.
On the night of September 20, 2019, Wada and two nurses allegedly forced a male patient, 79, sit naked in a chair in a shower room while they poured water on him with a hose and a bucket.
Five days later, Wada and two nurses allegedly trapped the same 79-year-old male patient for 20 minutes on the floor by placing a bed with safety railings over him, according to investigative sources.
“I have nothing to say since [the matter] is under investigation,” the director of the hospital was quoted.
Sexual acts on one another
Wada is no longer a nurse at Kande Hospital. The victims suffered from severe mental disabilities.
On March 24, police further accused Wada and three of the other suspects in two other incidents, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Mar. 24).
In October, 2019, the four suspects allegedly forced two male patients, 61 and 63, to perform sexual acts on one another.
Last September, they allegedly wrapped the head of the same 63-year-old patient with tape while he was sitting in a wheelchair at a nurse station.
During the investigation, police found about 30 videos on the smartphone of Wada that showed the alleged abuse. The six suspects shared the videos via the smartphone app Line, police said.
