Saitama teacher arrested for taking videos in restroom, trying to cover up by buying a new phone

Not one to face the music, this lecherous teacher concocted a daringly stupid plan to save himself.

On 15 May at Tokorozawa City Central Junior High School in Saitama Prefecture, a female student entered the stall of a third floor restroom but came across a suspiciously-left smartphone. She picked up the device and noticed that its camera was set to record video.

The student then took it outside and turned it in to a substitute teacher that was standing nearby in the hallway. The instructor, 27-year-old Reito Narita, thanked the student for reporting the suspicious phone and promised to turn it in to the principal.

As the girl walked away, a wave of panic washed over Narita. According to police, he had allegedly snuck into the restroom sometime after the end of school on the previous day and planted the phone to take videos. Now, he was tasked with turning in his own damning evidence.

With no time to spare, Narita rushed out from the school and went to the nearest smartphone dealer. He then purchased a brand new phone that exactly matched his model and returned to the school with it. Finally, he turned the new phone in to the principal with a report that it was suspected of taking voyeuristic videos.

▼ “Here you go! One perfectly clean phone
that was found in a public restroom.”

When police arrived they not only found that there was there no video on the phone, but no trace of any video having ever been taken with the device ever. Thinking this suspicious, the officers decided to track down where the phone was bought. Since it was a new phone, it wasn’t a huge hurdle to trace it right back to Narita as being the owner, finally arresting him on the 25th.

Readers of the news were both amused by the plan’s short-sightedness, and eager to suggest alternatives… some of which were a little too well thought out.

“What an idiot.”
“He was in way over his head.”
“The guy was just too horned up to think straight.”
“If he had bought one from a second-hand dealer he probably would have gotten away with it.”
“No. Even if you buy an old phone they still catch you.”
“Amazing that he didn’t think to just copy the data.”
“In this day and age where compact cameras are widely available, why use a smartphone to do that?”
“Even a second hand shop wouldn’t have worked. He should have destroyed the phone by soaking it in water. Sure, it would have been suspicious, but there would be no evidence to charge him with.”
“Why didn’t he have an alternate phone for doing this stuff instead of his actual phone?”
“I worry for these students’ futures, if these are their teachers.”

As always in cases like these, it’s fortunate that the culprit was allegedly dumb as bricks. However, there is a very important lesson to be learned for any students, anywhere who happen to find themselves victims of a hidden camera: if you come across a recording device, never turn it in to a male teacher who happens to be lingering around the bathroom where the incident took place.

In fact, why leave anything to chance? Just go and deliver that thing straight to the police yourself. Although a vast majority of teachers, principals, and school staff are caring and helpful people, there have been enough of these stories to know that no one is above suspicion.

Source: Nikkan Sports, Itai News
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert image: Pakutaso

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