Sea Shepherd captain's trial begins

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T100527004213.htm
The Yomiuri Shimbun

A member of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, in the first day of a trial over disruptions caused to a Japanese whaling fleet in the Antarctic Ocean, told the Tokyo District Court on Thursday his activities were not intended to injure the fleet's crew.

Peter Bethune, 45, former captain of the antiwhaling vessel Ady Gil, was indicted last month on five charges, including allegedly injuring a crew member of the Shonan Maru No. 2, a 712-ton patrol ship, by firing a glass bottle containing butyric acid onto its deck in February.

Bethune has admitted to the other four charges against him, namely intruding on the ship, forcibly obstructing business, violating the Firearms and Swords Control Law and damaging property.

Bethune is the first member of Sea Shepherd to stand trial on criminal charges in Japan. The organization is known for its aggressive obstruction of research whaling.

<SNIP>

If I intentionally fire a gun in the known direction of other people and someone is hurt, I should be held responsible.

Some people will just bend over backwards to distort the facts of any incident to accommodate their prejudices.

He threw a bottle at people on a boat knowing that someone could get hurt. Now he claims that the injury is an accident?

Bullshit.

But I do find it amusing that we've gone from "fired a gun" to "threw a bottle."

Dance, dance, dance! :thumbsup:

Thanks for the offer, though.

And I wouldn't want you grabbing my elbow. ;)

of the ship he attacked.

Another link on the story with background.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/bethune-could-get-fair-trial-lawyer-20100528-wi7b.html

he will spend some time in one. Given his high visibility status he may not get what has been done to other gajin have been in the past.