Naha –
Naha District Court on Tuesday sentenced a 22-year-old U.S. Marine to seven years in prison for nonconsensual sexual intercourse resulting in injury to a woman in Okinawa Prefecture in May last year.
The sentence compares with prosecutors’ request for a 10-year prison term for U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton. During his trial, Clayton asserted his innocence, claiming that he did not try to have sex or commit violence.
According to the indictment, Clayton assaulted the woman for sexual purposes, putting his arms around her neck and choking her from behind. She suffered injuries that took about two weeks to heal.
In a similar sexual assault case in Okinawa, a 26-year-old U.S. airman was sentenced to five years in prison last December. The defense has appealed the ruling.
AloJapan.com