SAITAMA (TR) – A court here has handed a Chinese man a prison term exceeding that sought by the prosecution for causing an explosion at his apartment building in Kawaguchi City last year that injured three people, reports the Saitama Shimbun (Dec. 16).
On December 15, the Saitama District Court handed Sen On, 45, a nine-year prison term for detonating of explosives and other crimes. The prosecution had sought a six-year term.
According to the verdict, Sen used a lighter to ignite gas from a tank that had filled up inside his third-floor apartment in July last year, causing an explosion that injured three people.
The blast damaged the apartment’s windows and other structures, with the total damage estimated at approximately 280 million yen. The three injured residents suffered injuries that took approximately a week to heal.
“Anxiety of surrounding residents was great”
Over the course of the trial, Sen admitted to the charges. Both the prosecution and defense argued that the defendant was in a state of mental impairment at the time of the incident.
However, presiding judge Kenichi Emi found the defendant to be fully responsible for his actions “It is inconceivable that he was unable to foresee the harm that would be caused to those around him,” Emi said.
Regarding the six-year term sought by the prosecution, Emi said, “The prosecutor’s sentence is based on the premise of mental impairment and must be described as lenient.”
According to the defense, the three victims later reached a settlement with the defendant and sought a lenient sentence.
Emi went on to say that the defendant attempted suicide due to the shock of a broken heart, and criticized him for “being nothing but selfish in choosing a gas explosion [as an answer].” He concluded, “The anxiety of surrounding residents was great, and the impact on the local community was significant.”
