Attack of the Heinously Irrelevant

(Warning: this entry may be too upsetting for those who get especially unnerved by the actions of stupid, sexist fucks.)

They are the type of defense attorneys who eat babies for breakfast.

You know the kind I mean.  And now, as if it weren't enough to get Joji Obara off the hook for the rape and murder of Lucie Blackman (the British bar hostess who was killed here seven years ago), they've now published a lengthy documentary which appears to serve no purpose other than to further tarnish the poor woman's name.

Although the book does not explicitly say that it was put together by Obara's cronies, it was.  Its pages are composed largely of evidence submitted to court by the defense, exhibits which were consequently thrown out by a judge who ultimately deemed them irrelevant.   The book also bears a striking resemblance to a website called The truth of Lucie's case which I know for a fact to be published by "a friend of Obara".

And really, who else would headline a book about a man who has been convicted of serial rape and manslaughter (though he was cleared of all counts relating to Blackman) with what translates to: "THE TRUTH ABOUT LUCIE'S CASE: the struggle of Joji Obara (who has an IQ of 180) vs. an elite prosecution team..."

Basically, this "documentary" is heinously irrelevant.  The evidence it presents has absolutely no bearing on Obara's guilt or innocence (fyi: he's guilty!).  All the while, these pages serve as a disgusting commentary on the conservative end of a society's attitudes towards both women and foreigners.

Take the first few pages, where we are greeted photos of a blond foreign woman inside of Obara's apartment.  She is cutting up and injecting herself with heroin.  She is not Lucie. 

To our author's credit, he admits in fine print that the woman in the opening photos is not the girl the book is supposed to be about. "This is a hostess named T," it reads, "she knew Lucie.  Here she is using heroin. . ."

And yet, it is unlikely that she and Lucie even knew each other at all, as in one of the photos, someone forgot to erase the date in the corner (June 15, 1995).  This is five years before Blackman's murder.

And why is T even relevant again?  Is it because all foreigners look the same? Or maybe because all foreigners do the drugs?  Either is plausible when you eat babies for breakfast...

I don't have time to describe all the contents of the book in detail, so I'll just skip to the part that enrages and saddens me the most: the reprinting of Lucie Blackman's Tokyo diaries as evidence.  I have seen these entries before, on the website I referred to above.

The journal entries are submitted with psychiatric commentary, concluding that Lucie suffered from a manic depressive disorder.  Again, as if it were relevant. 

To me, her journal entries seem pretty normal. 

Below, I have posted exhibits "A" "B" and "C" (A-F are available on the website itself)
of the diaries below.  They were presented to the court by the defense in an effort to paint a picture of the victim as a mentally unstable 'bimbo,' subsequently  thrown out of court, then reprinted in the defense's website and book.

While anyone who is not a complete dolt can easily see that none of this should be evidence in a murder trial, I must remark that instead exhibits A, B and C have everything to do with what working at a Tokyo hostess bar will do to the 21-year-old female psyche.

To be honest, I have read Lucie Blackman's journal entries over and over again throughout the past year or so.  And since getting sober, I have read them with a strong desire to reach into the pages, pull the young woman  out and shake some self-confidence into her.  Then, upon reflection that a good shaking is not likely to work so well, I've wanted to pull her from the pages and just hug her tightly instead.

Yet there are predators in this world, like Obara, who seem to have a sixth sense for finding young women who feel lost, as many of us do, for these are the women who are likely to make the worst decisions with respect to their own safety. 

And he got to her first.

 

p.s. 

I just wanted to provide an active link to the Lucie Blackman Trust, as referred to by Lucie's Dad in the comments section.  Thank you for stopping by, Mr. Blackman.

Comments

[lucies dad]

My little girl is a soft, genial, ordinary girl and it is hartbreaking to see her being tossed in the air and torn apart by these wolves. All I can see is that they make a massive attempt to excempt themselves from the quilt of what has been done to Lucie, and what was being done to other girls - and pobably still is. Japanese society has a very sick element to it, and their normal society is too gutless to face up to it and do something about it. I can't read Lucies diary through - it is desparately upsetting. I tried to persuade her over the phone to her "shithouse" to come home, or go on to family in Sydney, but she said she could not let Louise down!! and look how her friend Louise let her down. All I can hope is thet The Lucie Blackman Trust can get funded and grow to give advice ad protection to other Lucies.

[VicariousRising]

Lucie's diary is so upsetting. I have a male friend who seems to idealize Japan as this genteel, beautiful place, but I think it is because it is perfect for white males. I have a hard time reconciling his view with stories like these.

Thank you, Lea, for sharing this. Even though it breaks my heart.

[Matt, Lucie Blackman Trust]

Hi there,
The link to the Lucie Blackman trust is not working. It is www.lucieblackmantrust.org

Thanks and stay safe,

Matt x