In July in Gifu Prefecture, there was an incident in which a goat loved by children in the neighborhood was stolen from a ranch in Seki City. About two weeks later, a cow was found slaughtered at a ranch in Sakahogi, and the head and legs were missing.
Gifu Prefectural Police arrested two Filipino men on suspicion of theft. On the 23rd, the Mitake branch of the Gifu District Court handed down a guilty verdict of 2 years and 6 months in prison, suspended for 4 years (2 years and 6 months imprisonment requested). The motive was to sell or eat.
A 47-year-old man and a 27-year-old man, both unemployed, were convicted. According to statements at the trial, the two are relatives who live in the same apartment. They had worked at factories related to automobiles and other industries, but were unemployed due to the corona crisis and received benefits.
They saw livestock in the neighborhood and decided to steal it. It is said that the goat was killed at the scene, transported to their home by bicycle and dismembered. The poor goat “Milky-chan” was an 8-year-old female and was kept at “Fureai Ranch Hitsuji no Sato”. Her meat was said to have been distributed to about 10 relatives in their neighborhood.
In the ruling, Judge Takanori Ogawa criticized, “Even if there were difficult working conditions due to the impact of the coronavirus, the motive was too easy. Criminal responsibility cannot be taken lightly.”
The couple who run the ranch who lost Milky-chan said, “We received 50,000 yen as compensation from the defendants, but we can’t forgive them for their crime.”
