Blackman family arrives in Japan to hear verdict in Obara murder trial

The father and sister of Lucie Blackman, a British woman who was killed in Japan in 2000, arrived in Japan Sunday to hear Tuesday's verdict in the trial of the man accused of her death. Tim Blackman and Lucie's sister, Sophie, 26, will be in court when the verdict is read out for Joji Obara, who is charged with raping and fatally drugging Blackman, 21.

"It's been a very long seven years," Blackman said upon arrival at Narita airport. "It's been quite a strain on all of us, unfortunately, but hopefully this will be the end of it."

Before leaving London Saturday, Blackman told reporters he did not know what to expect. "It's a complicated situation and a complicated trial. I'm apprehensive about it because there is an awful lot of circumstantial evidence and he has denied all of the allegations," he was quoted as saying.

Obara, 54, has maintained his innocence throughout the trial, while prosecutors have demanded life imprisonment, arguing he committed "barbaric and extremely vicious and serious acts unprecedented in the history of sexual crimes."

Obara was indicted on charges of drugging or raping 10 women between February 1992 and July 2000, of whom two died, including Blackman.

According to the indictment, he made Blackman drink a beverage containing a drug before raping her at a condominium in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture. She subsequently died.

During his testimony, Obara told the court that all the women had agreed to have sex with him as they had visited his condo.

Obara's defense team has said that the condolence money offered to Tim Blackman by their client last year may mitigate the sentence. Blackman father was criticized by his ex-wife Jane Steare (Lucie's mother) for accepting "blood money" of 100 million yen (450,000 pounds) from a businessman friend of Obara.

Under Japanese law, defendants can pay "condolence cash" to victims in return for leniency in sentencing. Blackman said at the time the money would be split between the Lucie Blackman Trust and to support the family in the future.