CHIBA (TR) – A court here last week handed a former nursery school teacher a six-year prison term for the rape of three female pupils, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Mar. 1).
At the Matsudo branch of the Chiba District Court on Monday, presiding judge Toshihiro Honma described the actions of Yuta Mizuura, 26, as “extremely selfish crimes of sexual desire” in handing down the ruling.
“Trampling upon the dignity of children is malicious,” judge Honma said. “It’s also despicable that you forbade the children, who looked up to you, to talk [about the crimes] to cover them up.”
The prosecution had sought a 7-year term.
According to the ruling, Mizuura raped the three girls while he was their teacher at the school in Noda City between December 2019 and February of last year. He has admitted to sexually abusing seven other pupils.
During the trial, it was revealed that Mizuura interrupted treatment for a sexual disorder by getting the job at the nursery school.
“Even though you were advised by the hospital [to give up such employment], you ignored this and worked at the nursery school, which shows a deep-rooted propensity for [committing] sex crimes,” judge Honma said.
