THE MAN who murdered a 21-year-old Irish student in a Tokyo hotel room five years ago will not be released by Japanese authorities as they’ve concluded he shows insufficient remorse for his crime.
In March 2013 American Richard Hinds, then 19 years old, was found guilty of strangling Nicola Furlong after she regained consciousness while he was raping her.
The judge sentenced him to a minimum of five years and maximum ten years in prison.
The authorities have since commented on his lack of remorse and numerous attempts to blacken her name during the trial.
After his sentencing, the victim’s sister Andrea said: “I have so much anger and hatred towards this man. I want him to suffer. He took someone from us and ruined all our lives, so a life for a life.”
19-year-olds are still treated as minors by the Japanese judicial system, therefore Hinds received the maximum penalty provided by law.
The possibility of Hinds being freed has been denied for the time being after prison authorities castigated him for his attitude towards the heinous crime he committed, according to Irish Central.
Documents obtained by the Sunday World suggest that rehabilitation courses have had no impact on him and that he has yet to show any remorse for what he did.
Nicola Furlong’s father, Andrew, told Independent.ie, “I have never believed a man capable of doing what that monster did to my daughter is capable of changing.
“He preyed on an unconscious and helpless girl, my beautiful Nicola, and subjected her to a horrific death. The Japanese authorities let us down when they gave him a sentence of just five to 10 years for Nicola's murder. I hope they will not let us down again.”
