YOKOHAMA, Nov. 20 (AP) – (Kyodo)—A 21-year-old man who is on probation after receiving a suspended prison term for arson has gone missing, probably the first case in which a former defendant in a lay judge trial has disappeared after going on probation, legal sources said Thursday.

Under the newly introduced lay judge trial, several defendants were sentenced to suspended terms and have been put on probation, as citizen judges together with professional ones expect them to rehabilitate in society.

The disappearance of the person, who was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for five years, for setting fire to an umbrella near a company dormitory in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, in February, may affect the upcoming judgment of citizen judges.

He went missing shortly after the verdict was handed down at the Yokohama District Court on Oct. 8, although he was supposed to meet with a probation officer for advice on job hunting and residency, according to the sources.

It is likely the suspended sentence will be nullified if he neglects to contact the probation officer for a long period of time.

He received probation as the court determined he was not aware of the possibility the fire would spread to the dormitory building from the umbrella and his acquaintances would support his rehabilitation

Via breitbart

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