Japan judo Olympian jailed for 5 years for rape
A gavel rests on top of a desk in the courtroom of the Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum in Miami. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Japanese Olympic medalist Masato Uchishiba has been jailed for five years for raping a student he was coaching.
According to BBC News, Uchishiba, 34, claimed that the sex with his teenaged student in 2011 was consensual, but the Tokyo court where he was tried disagreed, saying he had assaulted her while she slept.
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Judge Tomonao Onizawa told the court when he ruled that it "cannot trust at all" what Uchishiba said, reported the Associated Press. Uchishiba is expected to appeal.
UPI noted that the two-time Olympic gold medalist coached women's judo at Kyushu University of Nursing and Social Welfare, and raped his student while she slept in a hotel after having drinks with other members of the school's judo club. The victim said she was intoxicated and earlier couldn't stand without help.
"It was impossible for the victim to do something on her own initiative," Onizawa said. "The accused trampled over the victim's feelings despite being in a position to lead Japanese judo in the future."
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