Society

Hokkaido: Girlâ€™s basketball coach accused of kissing player

Mar 02 (tokyoreporter.com) - Hokkaido Prefectural Police have arrested the coach of a girlâ€™s basketball team in Sapporo for allegedly kissing a player at his residence last year, reports Nikkan Sports

At around 6:30 p.m. on February 26, Hidenobu Hakamada, 52, allegedly kissed the girl, an elementary school student, on the lips in the entrance of his residence in Kita Ward in committing an act deemed obscene.

Hakamada, who has been accused of indecent assault, partially denies the allegations. â€œI kissed [her], but I did not do anything obscene,â€ the suspect was quoted by the Sapporo-Kita Police Station.

According to police, Hakamada is employed as a staff member in a nursing department for the city of Sapporo. The incident took place after he invited several girls to his residence upon the completion of practice.

At the residence, they joked about eating shoes. One of the girls said she would oblige, putting her footwear in her mouth.

Prior to his arrest on Tuesday, the suspect told a reporter for Nippon News Network (Feb. 26) that he kissed several of the girls at his residence. The parents of one of them later consulted with police.

Police are now investigating whether Hakamada sexually abused other girls on the basketball team.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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