Post by Taxigirl on Nov 27, 2003 10:05:25 GMT
The father and sister of a British woman whose dismembered body was found in a cave in Japan, have come face-to-face for the first time with the man accused of killing her.
Japanese property developer Joji Obara denies any involvement in the death of Lucie Blackman, 21, from Kent.
Ms Blackman, from Sevenoaks, was working as a barmaid in Tokyo when she disappeared three years ago.
Her body was found in a cave 30 miles from Tokyo, in the southwest of Japan, months later.
Mr Obara, 50, is accused of abduction, fatal assault or rape resulting in death, and the disposal of Ms Blackman's body.
He has faced trial for other offences and proceedings have been ongoing for some time.
Ms Blackman's father and sister, Tim and Sophie Blackman, from the Isle of Wight, were in court in Tokyo for the first time on Thursday.
They heard evidence relating to their loved-one's final movements.
They are in Japan for the first time since they took her body back to the UK for burial early in 2001.
Year-long trial
Mr Blackman spent thousands of pounds on his own investigation into his daughter's disappearance.
It is thought the trial could last up to a year and Mr Blackman said he and his family were prepared to be patient.
He said: "There have been previous hearings for other offences first so it's been playing on our minds, coming back for this particular trip.
"The climax has really been this afternoon, coming into this court and seeing Joji Obara.
'Our tails are up'
"It is a real relief to have made this step, coming into the judicial system and seeing how the trial goes.
"It has been a long time and that has been valuable time for us to understand losing Lucie and get our strength back from the ordeal of the eight months of looking for her.
"After this trip we've got our tails up and we'd like to come back and witness the entire event and see it through to the end."
Mr Obara denies all the charges against him and the trial continues.