A Japanese "hitman" hired by a woman over the Internet to kill her lover's pregnant wife was sentenced to jail on December 27 for swindling his client with a false promise to carry out the murder.
The Hachioji branch of the Tokyo District Court sentenced Takaharu Tabe, 40, to 30 months in prison for defrauding Eriko Kawaguchi of a total of 10 million yen ($85,500) since December 2004.
Kawaguchi, a 32-year-old former rescuer at the Tokyo Fire Department, had asked Tabe to kill her lover's wife after learning the woman was pregnant. He promised to kill the woman with a deadly chemical even though he had no intention of doing so, the court heard.
Tabe "has grave responsibility as he plotted the crime [of defrauding Kawaguchi] beforehand," presiding judge Masayuki Komai said, as quoted by Jiji Press news agency.
Kawaguchi was also arrested earlier this year after she complained to police that Tabe never carried out the killing despite being paid.
But she was not charged on the grounds that no action had taken place for the contract murder and that she already faced social sanctions. Police also found she had been subjected to violence by her lover, local media has said.
Internet 'hitman' jailed after bogus murder promise
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