OSAKA (TR) – A court here last week handed a 24-year-old woman a suspended prison term for leaving the corpse of her newborn in a park in Osaka City, reports Mainichi Broadcasting System (Nov. 5).
On November 5, the Osaka District Court handed Natsuki Hagito, who lives in Higashiosaka City, a one-year prison term, suspended for three years.
According to the ruling, Natsuki Hagito left the body of the baby girl partially buried at Ogimachi Park in Kita Ward around August 12.
During the trial, Hagito admitted to the charges. “I felt that I needed to hold a memorial service for the baby as soon as possible, so I decided to return it by burying it in the soil,” she said.
In its ruling on November 5, the Osaka District Court pointed out: “The fact that she committed the crime without taking any particular measures to show respect for the body or pursuing other appropriate means cannot escape criticism.” But it also noted her “willingness to apologize.”
Natsuki Hagito: “I felt that I needed to hold a memorial service for the baby as soon as possible.” (X)Gave birth in bathroom
The prosecution argued that Hagito gave birth in the bathroom at her workplace, took a taxi to the park, bought work gloves at a convenience store, dug up the soil with her own hands, buried the body and then went on a day trip with a friend.
An acquaintance of Hagito told the court they had noticed a change in her before the incident. “Hagito’s breasts started to grow in April or May of this year, and her belly was sticking out. When I asked her, ‘Is your belly getting bigger?’ she said, ‘Maybe I’ve been eating too much lately.’ She said she took a pregnancy test, but it was negative.”
Hagito denied being pregnant. However, at the first hearing in October, the prosecution pointed out that “the defendant became aware of her pregnancy around June and had been searching for information such as abortion costs on her smartphone.”
Stillborn
The baby was deemed a stillborn. Hagito said, “My memory of when she was born, was happiness. But when I saw her dead, I felt so sorry, so sorry.”
At one point, the prosecution asked, “Do you remember what happened after you buried the baby?” She said, “I don’t remember the details until I turned myself in. It was all superficial, and I felt like I had to go on a trip because it was planned. I felt that I needed to hold a memorial service for the baby as soon as possible, so I decided to return it by burying it in the soil and return her to her mother.”
The prosecution probed further, “Didn’t you ever imagine what would happen if you buried her in the ground?” She responded, “Rather than thinking about what would happen, I didn’t think it was cruel.”
“Heinous and despicable act”
The prosecution demanded a one-year prison sentence, stating, “Your motive was short-sighted. You knew she might be pregnant, but you didn’t use contraception, and you repeatedly drank and smoked, causing her death. This was a heinous and despicable act.”
The defense requested a suspended sentence.
The Osaka District Court justified the suspended term by stating that “she is apologetic and has shown an intention to try to make amends.”
AloJapan.com