A Japanese court on Wednesday sentenced a US Marine, Jamel Clayton, 22, to seven years in prison in the latest sexual assault case involving American military personnel stationed in the country.
Clayton, who had pleaded not guilty, was accused of choking and attempting to rape a woman in her 20s in Okinawa last year, as reported by Kyodo News and other local media.
The Naha District Court delivered its verdict on Tuesday, sentencing Clayton for “the crime of causing injury by attempting to have non-consensual sexual intercourse,” a court spokesperson confirmed to AFP.
Presiding Judge Kazuhiko Obata described Clayton’s actions as “so dangerous that they could have threatened her life and highly malicious,” according to Jiji Press. Prosecutors had sought a 10-year prison term.
Credit: CNA
Clayton’s lawyers argued that he had not used physical force, claiming he “only hugged her and left,” as reported by the Yomiuri Shimbun daily. The defence is reportedly considering an appeal.
Relations between US military personnel in Okinawa and the local community have long been strained.
Last year, 80 individuals associated with the US military faced charges for various crimes on the subtropical Japanese island, including eight serious cases such as robbery and non-consensual sexual acts, marking the highest number in 30 years, a police officer told AFP.
A notable incident in 1995, the gang rape of a 12-year-old girl by three US soldiers, prompted calls for a reevaluation of the 1960 pact that permits the stationing of US troops in Japan.
