TOKYO (TR) – A court here has handed a suspended prison term to a 57-year-old former taxi driver for stalking actress Momoko Kikuchi this year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Sept. 26).
On June 19 and 23, Hiromitsu Iizuka went to the apartment complex of Kikuchi and attempted to reach her through the intercom, which is a violation of a court order issued following his first arrest.
At the Tokyo District Court on Wednesday, presiding judge Yasunobu Hosoya handed Iizuka a one-year prison term, suspended for four years. “The victim could not return home due to fear,” the judge said. “It is natural that punishment is severe.”
Upon his arrest for violating the Stalker Control Law on June 24, Iizuka admitted to the allegations. “I knew it wasn’t the right thing to do, but I wanted to see her and used the intercom,” the suspect was quoted by police.
Iizuka is believed to have learned the whereabouts of Kikuchi’s residence after driving her home last fall. Between December and March, he repeatedly visited the property of Kikuchi, attempting to reach her through the intercom.
After the stalking started, the agency of Kikuchi contacted police. This year, police issued a warning to the defendant.
On March 31, officers first apprehended Iizuka after they noticed a post on Twitter from him in which he said that he was going to visit Kikuchi’s residence. A summary court then ordered him to pay a fine of 300,000 yen and stay away from the actress.
