Hinds found guilty of murder

Snickers Man · 19-03-2013 08:37AM #1

Richard Hinds has been found guilty by a court in Japan of the murder of Irish student Nicola Furlong.

The 19 year old American musician and another American man brought two Irish students, 21 year old Nicola Furlong and an unnamed friend back to their hotel after meeting them in a bar following a rap concert. On the way there in a taxi cab, the two men were recorded in conversation anticipating having sex with the two comatose girls.

CCTV footage in the hotel showed that the girls were so incapacitated they had to be placed in wheelchairs to be taken by elevator to the men's hotel room.

In the course of the evening, Nicola Furlong died in Mr Hinds' room. The court heard forensic evidence that she had been strangled. The prosecution alleged that the most likely explanation was that Mr Hinds was trying, unsuccessfully according to forensic evidence, to have sex with a comatose Ms Furlong and that when she woke up and started to struggle, he strangled her.

Hinds claimed that Ms Furlong demanded "rough sex", a part of which was her insisting that he put his hands on her neck. His defence claimed that a combination of drink and drugs had caused the woman's death.

Last week, Hinds' friend was found guilty of sexual assault on Furlong's friend and, in a separate incident, another woman.

In his ruling, the judge denounced Hinds for his lack of remorse and his attempts to blacken Furlong's reputation.
Hinds has been sentenced to a minimum of five years in jail.

padd b1975 · 19-03-2013 08:39AM

Snickers Man wrote: »

Richard Hinds has been found guilty by a court in Japan of the murder of Irish student Nicola Furlong.

The 19 year old American musician and another American man brought two Irish students, 21 year old Nicola Furlong and an unnamed friend back to their hotel after meeting them in a bar following a rap concert. On the way there in a taxi cab, the two men were recorded in conversation anticipating having sex with the two comatose girls.

CCTV footage in the hotel showed that the girls were so incapacitated they had to be placed in wheelchairs to be taken by elevator to the men's hotel room.

In the course of the evening, Nicola Furlong died in Mr Hinds' room. The court heard forensic evidence that she had been strangled. The prosecution alleged that the most likely explanation was that Mr Hinds was trying, unsuccessfully according to forensic evidence, to have sex with a comatose Ms Furlong and that when she woke up and started to struggle, he strangled her.

Hinds claimed that Ms Furlong demanded "rough sex", a part of which was her insisting that he put his hands on her neck. His defence claimed that a combination of drink and drugs had caused the woman's death.

Last week, Hinds' friend was found guilty of sexual assault on Furlong's friend and, in a separate incident, another woman.

Hinds has been sentenced to a minimum of five years in jail.

WTF???

oldyouth · 19-03-2013 08:40AM

For the manner in which he attacked her character during the trial, in front of her family, 5 years is not enough.

Hopefully everyone can begin to find some closure now

kev1.3s · 19-03-2013 08:40AM

Snickers Man wrote: »

Richard Hinds has been found guilty by a court in Japan of the murder of Irish student Nicola Furlong.

The 19 year old American musician and another American man brought two Irish students, 21 year old Nicola Furlong and an unnamed friend back to their hotel after meeting them in a bar following a rap concert. On the way there in a taxi cab, the two men were recorded in conversation anticipating having sex with the two comatose girls.

CCTV footage in the hotel showed that the girls were so incapacitated they had to be placed in wheelchairs to be taken by elevator to the men's hotel room.

In the course of the evening, Nicola Furlong died in Mr Hinds' room. The court heard forensic evidence that she had been strangled. The prosecution alleged that the most likely explanation was that Mr Hinds was trying, unsuccessfully according to forensic evidence, to have sex with a comatose Ms Furlong and that when she woke up and started to struggle, he strangled her.

Hinds claimed that Ms Furlong demanded "rough sex", a part of which was her insisting that he put his hands on her neck. His defence claimed that a combination of drink and drugs had caused the woman's death.

Last week, Hinds' friend was found guilty of sexual assault on Furlong's friend and, in a separate incident, another woman.

In his ruling, the judge denounced Hinds for his lack of remorse and his attempts to blacken Furlong's reputation.
Hinds has been sentenced to a minimum of five years in jail.

A minimum of 5 years? Scumbag should have gotten life! Showed absolutely no remorse during the course of through trial.

seamus · 19-03-2013 08:41AM

Pity the sentences are so short, but I'm delighted that the judges saw through his blatant lies.

Hopefully the Furlong family now have some kind of closure.

Grand Moff Tarkin · 19-03-2013 08:47AM

He should hang.

biko · 19-03-2013 08:48AM

Disgusting how someone can premeditate rape (yes, that's what it is when she's too drunk to say no) and then pretend she wanted rough sex after having squeezed the life from her body.
Unfortunately date rape seems to be prevalent still, sadly this one ended in murder too.

galwayrush · 19-03-2013 08:48AM

5 years isn't even enough for attacking her character.
Did they actually take the murder into acount in the sentencing?

efb · 19-03-2013 08:50AM

He's a minor 10 years in the maximum

michael999999 · 19-03-2013 08:53AM

If he had been convicted over here he would be out in ten to eleven years anyway!

Let's just hope the labour he serves is severe!

Grand Moff Tarkin · 19-03-2013 08:54AM

The frighting thing is when this scumball gets out he will try and sell more (c)rap music about his time locked up. A disgusting individual who has no guilt and no remorse for his cold and calculating rape and murder of this young lady on top of his desperate attempt to destroy her character just to save his skin.

Oryx · 19-03-2013 08:57AM

Her family would have known the sentence would be light. Sickening for them having to listen to his lies knowing that at best he would serve ten years.And he only gets five. Disgusting.

Ive always felt the staff at the hotel were culpable too. Did noone think to check who these girls were and whether they needed medical help?

brandon_flowers · 19-03-2013 08:59AM

Under 20 is considered a minor in Japan, which is disgraceful IMO.

The guy is obviously a sickening beast. The support he got in the States just shows how backward that country really is.

kev1.3s · 19-03-2013 09:00AM

Imo its fine to get a light sentence for petty crime like theft for minors but this individual committed a very serious crime and should not be treated the same.how long did Jamie bolgers killers serve?

Just Like Heaven · 19-03-2013 09:04AM

Sickening to hear the sentence is so short, but you're not considered an adult in Japan until the age of 20.

clappyhappy · 19-03-2013 09:05AM

Let's hope the hard labour is very hard. I'm sure the family had been told of the expected sentence.

Death and Taxes · 19-03-2013 09:05AM

galwayrush wrote: »

5 years isn't even enough for attacking her character.
Did they actually take the murder into acount in the sentencing?

Yes they did but under Japanese law he was tried as a minor.
The actual sentence was no less than 5 years and no more than 10 years ,with Labour

Dr Strange · 19-03-2013 09:07AM

It says 5 years with labour. I hope that in some small way the "labour" part makes up the lack of a longer sentence somewhat but that depends on what "labour" means in the Japanese prison system.

gdavis · 19-03-2013 09:07AM

Biko,she was not too drunk,she was drugged by him.

Franticfrank · 19-03-2013 09:10AM

Horrendous. Lucky for him that he escaped the death sentence. More than likey he'll reoffend when he gets out.

shanered · 19-03-2013 09:10AM

Deserves longer sentence especially with the tact he took in court. I wish a tough five years on him and hopefully closure to the furlong family, my sympathies lie with them.

Vizzy · 19-03-2013 09:11AM

Hope he gets plenty of the rough sex that he was looking for.

Chuck Stone · 19-03-2013 09:19AM

Japanese prisons are supposed to be very tough. I hope his sentence drags the murdering cunt.

seven_eleven · 19-03-2013 09:27AM

This has been posted here a few times before, but Ill link again: http://www.prisontalk.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-159095.html

Its a short account of what modern Japanese prisons are like. They're are very tough. And the fact that hinds is a black American will only make it tougher him.
He'll be broken at the end of his 5 years, hopefully. And know the Japanese justice system he will probably serve the 10 years anyway just because.
They have something like a 99% conviction rate in Japan. No time for bullshít.

Also http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2013/03/19/issues/a-violent-death-some-justice-few-answers-in-furlong-case/#.UUghqVfEpZN

The camera records what would become key prosecution evidence in the trials of both men, a conversation full of leering, predatory braggadocio. “These bitches fell into our lap,” says one. “We can f—k them,” says the younger one. “We gotta keep them f—ked up.” Then Blackston: “We are going to f—k them and leave them in my room.” At one stage the men exchange fist bumps.

Last week, nine months later, the accused minor would dismiss all this as “meaningless talk” in the Tokyo District Court.

suicide_circus · 19-03-2013 09:37AM

Lets hope he is rehabilitated by his time in prison

the_syco · 19-03-2013 09:42AM

Japanese hard labour is just that; making car parts and/or mobile phones. If you refuse, you are put in

a little cell with nothing in it, and they forced you to sit rigidly all day at a desk until it was time to eat and sleep.

itac · 19-03-2013 09:43AM

For some reason, the murder of Nicola hit me really hard. I remember first hearing that an Irish woman had been found in hotel, after travelling to a concert with a friend. I thought of how often I'd gone to gigs, travelling to the venue full of excitement, joking with my friends, singing along together throughout the gig, and then, late in the night, gotten separated (or hooked up with a guy!) and woke up the next day with just a sore head.

To think of what she must have gone through, and what her family have, and will have to go through, has upset me more than I thought. Hearing the news this morning that all he gets is ten years, max, has both horrified, and infuriated me beyond belief this morning.

You take a life, you do life-it should be as simple as that. He'll eventually get out, go home, and he will be back out there, going to gigs with friends and enjoying life. Nicola's family are the ones serving the life sentence here, they will be suffering til the end. My heart goes out to them, her friends, and to her friend who was with her, who suffered so much out there too.

MugMugs · 19-03-2013 09:47AM

gdavis wrote: »

Biko,she was not too drunk,she was drugged by him.

She was drugged yes but she was also full of booze so she was drunk.

Seaneh · 19-03-2013 09:49AM

seven_eleven wrote: »

They have something like a 99% conviction rate in Japan. No time for bullshít.

Actually, the high conviction rate in Japan is more to do with rampant corruption within the police and prosecution services than anything else. They only bring a tiny amount of cases to trial because they (the police and prosecution services) have to keep an insane percentage pf successful cases.

Only about 11% of all unnatural deaths ever result in an autopsy as police have the power to declare a cause of death at the scene.

Despite the doe eyed view of people in the west of Japan being a society where honour is all important, this same "honour system" causes a massice amount of crimes to be ignored as failure of the police to get convictions would mean they were failing in their jobs and thus failing society so instead of opening investigations into murders/fraud/whatever they ignore the ones that look too messy to convict easily to maintain their high conviction rates. So you end up with a society where you have statistically low numbers of "murders" and an insanely high number of unexplained deaths being attributed to "natural causes" and organisations like the Yakuza being left to do as they wish with little or no interference from the Police.

Swampy · 19-03-2013 09:52AM

michael999999 wrote: »

If he had been convicted over here he would be out in ten to eleven years anyway!

Let's just hope the labour he serves is severe!

It's not hard labour. They make shoes, furniture etc. it's a damn pity that he is considered a minor there. Deserves life at the minimum.

seven_eleven · 19-03-2013 09:56AM

Swampy wrote: »

It's not hard labour. They make shoes, furniture etc. it's a damn pity that he is considered a minor there. Deserves life at the minimum.

You underestimate the Japanese prison system. Psychological torture and ostracization are large factors. Hard labour making shoes is not some 9-5 casual production line job inside there.

Hinds found guilty of murder

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