SAGA -- A man who alerted police that his friends were planning a robbery and participated in a sting operation, only to be arrested and detained, has sued the Saga Prefectural Government, demanding damages.
Kazuhiro Hara, 36, is demanding 3.3 million yen in compensation from the prefectural government in the lawsuit filed in the Saga District Court. The lawsuit says he was detained, despite cooperating in the police investigation, and that police gave a false report after his arrest.
Hara learned that his friends were planning a robbery on July 21, 2007, and purchased a balaclava as they instructed him. However, he reported the planned crime to police on July 28.
When investigators heard about the scheme from Hara, one of them told him, "We want you to go ahead with it as planned." At the time, Hara wasn't intending to commit a robbery, and had removed the robbery equipment -- a crowbar and balaclava -- from his vehicle. When he asked if that was all right, police told him they needed him to have the equipment in the vehicle, so he replaced the items.
That afternoon, Hara drove to an area near a house that his friends were targeting, where police arrested him along with three others. On July 29, police announced they had arrested five people, including Hara, on suspicion of preparing for a robbery.
In his lawsuit, Hara said he had not acted deliberately in preparing for the robbery, and the reason he drove out in his car was that police had asked him to. He added that the police statement to the media about his arrest, with regard to him, was false.
"He was made to participate in an illegal sting operation," a lawyer for Hara said.
A prefectural police spokesman commenting on the case defended investigators' actions.
"Suspicious of preparing for a robbery arose at the time he bought the balaclava, and the arrest was appropriate. The arrest and announcement were done to ensure that the other four people didn't find out that he had reported the matter to police, and were aimed at protecting him," the police official said.
おとり捜査：佐賀県警に協力も逮捕 起訴猶予の男性提訴
佐賀県警に昨年７月に強盗予備の疑いで逮捕された後、起訴猶予となった佐賀市兵庫町渕の中古車販売業、原一弘さん（３６）が７日、「捜査に協力したのに身柄を拘束され、虚偽の発表をされた」として、県に３３０万円の損害賠償を求めて佐賀地裁に提訴した。
訴状などによると、原さんは０７年７月２１日、友人らが強盗を計画していることを知り、指示され目出し帽を購入した。しかし、犯行をやめさせようと同２８日、佐賀署に計画を知らせた。
捜査員は、原さんの話を聞くと「予定通り（計画を）進めてほしい」と要請。当時、原さんは強盗をしようと思っておらず、車からバールや目出し帽を降ろしていた。そのままでいいかを尋ねたところ、捜査員から「載せておいてくれないと困る」などと言われ、再び車に戻したという。
原さんは同日午後、友人が狙っていた民家近くに車で行って他の３人と共に逮捕された。佐賀署は２９日、強盗予備の疑いで原さんを含む５人を逮捕したと発表した。
原さん側は訴状で「強盗予備には故意性がないうえ、車で出かけたのも警察から求められたため」と主張。そのうえで「（他の逮捕者と）共犯関係になることはあり得ない。記者発表は原告に関しては虚偽だ」としている。原さんの弁護士は「違法なおとり捜査に協力させられた」と話している。
県警刑事部の江口民雄管理官は「目出し帽を買った時点で強盗予備容疑があり、逮捕は適正だった。逮捕や発表には、他の４人に通報したことを分からなくする身辺保護の狙いがあった」と話している。【高芝菜穂子】
Mainichi
March 8, 2008
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