Japanese sex pest jailed for stalking pop idol Ena Matsuoka using reflections in her eyes
- Hibiki Sato, 27, followed the Tenshi Tsukinukeni Yomi singer into her apartment building, gagged her with a towel and molested her
- He had tracked her down using social media posts, which he enhanced to reveal landmarks that he cross-referenced with Google Street View
A Japanese man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for stalking and assaulting an up-and-coming pop idol after finding clues to where she lived by enlarging reflections of scenery and landmarks in her eyes in photographs she shared on social media.
Hibiki Sato, a 27-year-old unemployed man from Saitama City, was found guilty in the Tokyo District Court of attacking Ena Matsuoka, 21, a singer with the idol group Tenshi Tsukinukeni Yomi, on September 1 last year.
During questioning, Sato told police that he had discovered the district of Tokyo where Matsuoka lived by going through photos that she had posted on social media sites and enlarging the images, the Sankei Shimbun reported.
The enhanced photos revealed scenery and landmarks reflected in her eyes, which Sato cross-referenced with Google Street View to identify the railway station closest to her home.
He had stalked Matsuoka for some time before the attack in September, the court heard, when he followed her from the station after a concert, timing his attack so it coincided with her entering her apartment building. Sato used a towel as a gag, forced Matsuoka to the floor and sexually molested her, prosecutors said.
Sato did not contest the facts of the case during the court hearings.