Hearing ends for 4 Marines in gang rape case

[unhappycamper]

Hearing ends for 4 Marines in gang rape case
By Chisaki Watanabe - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Feb 15, 2008 12:02:35 EST

HIROSHIMA, Japan — U.S. military authorities held preliminary hearings Friday to determine whether four Marines who had been charged with raping a Japanese woman last year should be court-martialed.

The four U.S. Marines, accused of an attack on a 19-year-old woman in October, were charged by the military in December, said Master Gunnery Sgt. John Cordero of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni.

The hearings began Thursday to decide whether the men would face court-martial, he said. Two of the Marines were also accused of stealing money from the woman.

The hearings, originally set to last three days through Saturday, ended after the second day, Kyodo News Agency said without giving details. Phone calls to military officials at Iwakuni were not answered late Friday.

The case at Iwakuni, which was initiated quietly after Japanese authorities dropped charges against the four, was taking place as anger rose on the southern island of Okinawa over the arrest this week of another Marine on suspicion of raping a 14-year-old girl.


Rest of article at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/02/kyo_iwakunirape_080214/