Case overview
British citizen Lucie Blackman disappeared in Tokyo on 1 July 2000. The investigation led police to Joji Obara, who was later convicted of offenses against Blackman and other women and sentenced to life imprisonment. Obara was charged with the drugging, sexual assault and murder of Englishwoman Lucie Blackman; the rape and manslaughter of Australian woman Carita Ridgway; and the rape of eight other women. [1]
In 2007, Obara was sentenced to life imprisonment on multiple rape charges and manslaughter but was acquitted in the Blackman case for lack of direct evidence. The court found Obara guilty on the counts of abduction, concealment of Blackman's remains on December 16, 2008. The following year, the Tokyo High Court found Obara guilty on the counts of abduction, concealment of Blackman's remains. [2]
