Mass murderer to hang

A Japanese man was sentenced to death yesterday for the murder of 19 disabled people at a care home, in one of the country's worst-ever mass killings.

Satoshi Uematsu never disputed his involvement in the attack but his lawyers entered a plea of not guilty, arguing the 30-year-old was suffering a "mental disorder" linked to his use of marijuana.

The court ruled that the former employee of the facility deserved no leniency over the 2016 attack which shocked Japan.

"The lives of 19 people were taken away. This is profoundly grave," chief judge Kiyoshi Aonuma told the court.

Uematsu planned the murders and had "an extreme intention to kill," he added.

Prosecutors had sought the death penalty and argued that the defendant was capable of taking responsibility for the violence at the Tsukui Yamayuri-en center, just outside Tokyo.

Uematsu was impassive as the verdict was announced, staring at the judge as he was sentenced.

Uematsu, who faced six charges including murder, reportedly said before the trial that he would not appeal any verdict, though he argued he did not deserve the death penalty.

He has reportedly said he wanted to eradicate all disabled people in the horrifying attack that also left 26 people wounded. He turned himself in to police after the assault, carrying bloodied knives.

It later emerged that Uematsu had left his job at the care home just months earlier and been forcibly hospitalized after telling colleagues he intended to kill disabled people at the center.

But he was discharged after just 12 days when a doctor decided he was not a threat. He had also written a letter outlining plans to attack the care home, claiming "disabled people only create unhappiness".

Among the few victims to be identified publicly was a 19-year-old woman, Miho, whose mother had said at the court that Uematsu "didn't need a future".

"I hate you so much. I want to rip you apart. Even the most extreme penalty is light for you. I will never forgive you," her mother said before the verdict.