Former temporary worker arrested over alleged abuse at Aichi care home for the disabled, police investigate other possible incidents

By Barrier Free Japan with extracts translated from NHK

December 4 2020

Content is altered to withhold the suspect’s name

AICHI – A former temporary worker at a facility for the disabled in Higashiura Town, Aichi Prefecture, was arrested on suspicion of injury for kicking the abdomen of a resident in his 50s and causing serious injury. The man subsequently died, and police are investigating whether there are multiple other residents with similar injuries.

The person who was arrested was aged 45 and a former temporary worker at a facility for the disabled operated by the social welfare corporation “Aikoen” in Higashiura Town.

According to police, the suspect was alleged to have kicked the abdomen of a 54-year-old male resident with intellectual disabilities and causing serious injuries last July.

The man was admitted to the hospital and was being treated, but died three months later.

When the police investigated the case after receiving information from the hospital that there was a risk of abuse, the suspect admitted the charges by stating, “No doubt, I kicked with my bare feet.”

Police are investigating the link between assault and death.

There were several residents with similar injuries at this facility, and one of them died, so the police set up an investigation headquarters at the Handa police station on the 4th, to investigate possible related cases.

The social welfare corporation “Aikoen”, which operates facilities for the disabled, held a press conference after 3:30 pm.

At this press conference , Vice President Keiji Hidaka said, “I thought that it was the most important responsibility of our staff to protect the rights of users on a daily basis, and I told them from the bottom of my heart. I’m sorry. I want to think about preventive measures so that it won’t happen again. ”

According to the facility manager, in July last year, a 54-year-old man who was a resident had vomiting in his bed when he woke up in the morning, and the suspect who found him, contacted another staff member and called an ambulance. , It means that he was taken to the hospital.

The night before, the suspect was staying at the facility and there were no other staff members in the facility.

Regarding the personality of the suspect, the person in charge of the facility said, “He was a serious person with a strong feeling for people with severe intellectual disabilities.”