Woman, 70, on trial for stalking

2007-02-11 19:04

Tokyo - A 70-year-old Japanese woman has gone on trial for bombarding a 79-year-old man with over 200 love letters, repeatedly cleaning his family tombstone and breaking a stalking ban, media reported over the weekend.

Prosecutors told a court in Ibaraki prefecture in eastern Japan the defendant had forced her way into the man's home seven times between July and October last year despite being ordered to stay away by police, the Mainichi newspaper reported.

Prosecutors said the woman had sent 206 love letters and cleaned the man's family grave site 85 times.

After the prohibition order was issued, she then demanded 1.25 million yen ($10 300) from him for the amount she had paid to get a driver's licence to travel to his home and for petrol costs.

Later, she reportedly started sending threatening letters to the man, saying: "If it comes down to it, you could die," the paper quoted the indictment as saying.

Prosecutors are seeking a 10-month jail sentence because they believe there is a high chance the defendant could commit another offence.

- Reuters