Judges in tears as Nicola Furlong’s sister asks Tokyo court for death sentence

Accused Richard Hinds admits he put two hands on Irish student’s neck

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Murdered Irish student Nicola Furlong's family gather outside court

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Murdered Irish student Nicola Furlong’s sister has pleaded with a Japanese court to condemn her killer to the death sentence.

Two judges failed to hold back the tears as an emotional victim’s impact statement from Andrea Furlong was made public.

Teenage American dancer Richard Hinds is accused of the murder of the Irish exchange student in a Tokyo hotel last May.

The Irish Independent reports that Andrea, also 19, has told the trial that Hinds should be sentenced to death for killing her sister.

The report says that two judges sitting in on the case wiped tears from their eyes as the victim impact statements of Nicola’s mum and sister were read out.

The report says that in an emotional and angry victim impact statement to Tokyo District Court, 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.”

In her own victim impact statement, Nicola Furlong’s mother Angela said: “I have no wish to take a life for a life.

“But given that the defendant has refused to take responsibility for what he did and has instead tried to blacken our daughter’s name with lies, I feel the punishment should at least begin to reflect the pain he has caused.”

The paper says that Hinds listened impassively sitting just a couple of metres away from the Furlongs as they spoke.

Earlier he had admitted for the first time that he put his two hands around Nicola’s neck moments before she passed out from strangulation.

Hinds has pleaded not guilty to murder. He said: “At this time, I had both hands on her neck.”

Asked by the prosecution why he had not mentioned this in questioning by his defence lawyer, Hinds said, “Well, he didn’t ask.”

He also claimed that since the death, he had always said he had put his two hands around her neck.

Hinds added: “I maybe wasn’t heard correctly by others, but I have been saying this from the beginning of my investigation nine months ago.”

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