1996
Jan 30th - Prosecutors on Monday demanded jail sentences of 10-year's hard labour for the three servicemen accused of the assault. Prosecutors say that the girl was bound, beaten, and raped in the back seat of a rental car. The father of the girl appealed to the court that the accused should be "kept in prison until they die." The three servicemen face sentences of anything between three years and life imprisonment for the crime of rape causing injury under Japanese law. Defence lawyers point out that there has never been a case in which more than ten years has been imposed. One of the three, Marcus Gill, has pleaded guilty as charged, but the two others, Rodrico Harp and Kendrick Ledet, have acknowledged only joining in the abduction. In summing up, the prosecution said that Gill and Harp had raped the girl, and that Ledet had tried, but was unable to do so. A final ruling and sentencing is expected with about a month.
Feb 2nd - A group of Okinawan women set off on a protest tour of the United States on Saturday to draw attention to violent sexual crimes committed by U.S. servicemen on the island.
11th - Thirteen Okinawan women ended a three-day campaign in Washington Friday in which they urged U.S. Congresswomen and supporters to call for reductions in the number of bases on Okinawa. "Aside from the high-profile rape incident last September of a schoolgirl, there are many hidden cases of rape by U.S. military servicemen," Suzuyo Takazato told a press conference.
MARCH
6th - Okinawans await the sentencing of the three U.S. servicemen accused of raping a local schoolgirl, due to take place on Thursday. Prosecutors have demanded 10-year prison sentences for each. The decision will be rendered by a three-judge court as Japan does not have a jury system.
8th - Lawyers for the families of the three U.S. servicemen sentenced to prison terms for the abduction and rape of an Okinawan schoolgirl said Thursday they plan to seek an immediate appeal against the punishments. U.S. lawyers Michael Griffith (who represents Ledet and Harp) and Eric Ross (who represents Gill) expressed disappointment with the performance of the Japanese defence team and said that the constitutional and legal rights of the defendants were violated throughout the trial. Griffith took issue with the Japanese system of detaining suspects for up to 23 days for questioning by police without a lawyer present. "We intend to show the world that this is a system that must be changed," he said. On Thursday he called Japan's conviction rate of 99.99% "a joke to the civilised world." "Are the Japanese police the most intelligent police in the world that they only arrest the guilty people?" he asked.
