NARA (TR) – Nara Prefectural Police announced last week that two police officers have been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of assaulting and abusing a male detainee in his 20s.
According to the Yomiuri Shimbun (May 23), the officers claiming they did it because his reactions were “funny.”
The two officers, a man in his 20s and a senior officer in his 30s, face charges of assault and cruelty by special public officers.
According to the inspector’s office, the abuse took place between July and October of last year inside a police station holding facility where the officers were stationed.
The officers allegedly subjected the detainee to a series of degrading acts, including grabbing his face while he was sleeping in his cell, forcefully yanking his trousers up, and spraying disinfectant alcohol directly onto his crotch in a common area.
Both officers have admitted to the allegations. “Initially, we did it because he wouldn’t follow instructions,” they reportedly told investigators. “But midway through, we found his reactions funny and did it as a practical joke.”
The systematic abuse came to light in February of this year after the prefectural police headquarters received a sealed letter from the detainee stating he had been subjected to “inappropriate behavior.”
On the same day as the prosecutorial referral, the officer in his 20s was handed a 10-percent pay cut for three months and voluntarily accepted a demotion from his rank as a senior officer. His partner in his 30s received a formal reprimand from the police chief.
Additionally, two superiors—an assistant inspector in his 50s and an inspector in his 40s—received disciplinary warnings for failing to properly supervise their subordinates.
Chief Inspector Yoshio Nakai addressed the scandal. He stated, “We will thoroughly instruct our personnel and make every effort to prevent a recurrence.”
