Naha: Naha District Court on Tuesday sentenced a 22-year-old US Marine to seven years imprisonment for sexually assaulting and injuring a woman in Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, in May 2023. The court found Lance Corporal Jamel Clayton guilty of nonconsensual sexual intercourse resulting in bodily harm. Prosecutors had sought a 10-year sentence.

According to Philippines News Agency, during his trial, Clayton asserted his innocence, claiming that he did not try to have sex or commit violence. However, the indictment detailed that Clayton assaulted the woman for sexual purposes, putting his arms around her neck and choking her from behind. She suffered injuries that took about two weeks to heal.

In a similar sexual assault case in Okinawa, a 26-year-old US airman was sentenced to five years in prison last December. The defense has appealed the ruling.