Bethune prepares 'humble' speech for trial in Japan

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Thu, 27 May 2010 6:15a.m. UPDATED: 12:31a.m.

anti-whaling protester Pete Bethune faces up to 15 years imprisonment (NZPA)

anti-whaling protester Pete Bethune faces up to 15 years imprisonment (NZPA)

Auckland anti-whaling protester Pete Bethune has rehearsed a "humble" speech in Japanese for his trial starting in the Tokyo District Court today.

The father of two teenage daughters, Danielle, 15, and Alycia, 13, may be facing up to 15 years imprisonment if he is convicted on some of the five charges he is facing in the wake of his aborted Southern Ocean protest voyage earlier this year.

His wife, Sharyn, will not be in court - she is at home in Auckland planning to take the girls for a visit in July if their father is required to serve a long jail sentence.

Bethune's United States lawyer Dan Harris said last night he would not contest charges of trespass, possession of a weapon, damage to property and obstructing commercial activity, but deny the most serious charge of assault, which based on allegations that he was responsible for bottles of rancid butter - a stenching agent known as butyric acid - being thrown at Japanese sailors earlier in the protest.

Bethune was working for the US-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, on its the Ady Gil trimaran - formerly the record-setting Earthrace - when it and the Japanese whaling fleet's security ship the Shonan Maru II collided in January.

Three of the charges stem from his doomed bid to later make a "citizen's arrest" of the Japanese captain for what he said was the attempted murder of the Ady Gil's six crew, jumping on board from a jetski, carrying a knife to cut netting on the vessel.

He was captured - "I went to a lot of trouble to get caught" - and taken to Japan, where Harris has criticised the Japanese authorities for trying to stage "a political show trial".

But Bethune and his family are pinning their hopes on showing contrition and getting a suspended sentence.

Mrs Bethune said her husband would deny the assault charge - which carries a maximum penalty of up to 15 years - and had written the speech in Japanese to help his case.

"Pete's got to be humble, he's got to be apologetic, Pete will find that hard if he believes that he's in the right," she said.

Bethune said in a letter home that "the best I can hope for is a suspended sentence".

"The lawyers believe I will get this if I put on a good but humble show at the trial".

But he noted: "Humble is not so easy though when you've had your boat sunk and been locked up for months.

"If I get a suspended sentence and leave here June or early July, I'll settle for that".

Meanwhile, he is handwriting his second book. His first was on the bid to circumnavigate the world on the trimaran, when it was named Earthrace.

NZPA

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Comments

10 Jul 2010 03:10p.m.

dr ryan wrote:

yalll r all stupid!! if they were americans we would not even care if he boarded that ship!we wud think he is a hero! im donating money to help him fund his trial! and them putting him on trial is dumb hes saving the wahles!!! hes a great man! whish he was american our government prosecute the shit out of the japanese those inbred fuks!

01 Jul 2010 05:21a.m.

Terry wrote:

System victim Focus. Bethune is a victim. It is as simple as that. The Japanese rammed and endangered the lives of the Ady Gil crew. All over, victims of crimes are blamed with being in the wrong place, or wearing the wrong thing. The system, which are laws to protect people above all else should be the focus, not focus on a victim. That victim being, Bethune. Keep driving your Toyota under the presumtion that laws prevent Freightliner Trucks from running you over.

27 May 2010 02:01p.m.

Jim wrote:

"THEY KILL WHALES TO SELL THE MEAT TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER."
Really zena? I guess we sell our fruit, veggies, wood, meat and milk products to the lowest bidder or charity? You also say you won’t buy Japanese products due to this. So the whole Japanese nation (to your mind) should pay for something that an insignificant number of them participate in (I’ll keep driving my trusty Toyota).
Also interesting to note is that you and your friends have no interest in the fate of the sharks "that are murdered" every 3 seconds around the world Yes they are not eaten, in most cases, just left to rot which is sort of like what happened to the whales when the Europeans use to hunt them in very large numbers.
I also find it comical how you and your European "holier than thou" mates love telling other races how to live when Europe (itself) looks like a bomb site (after their many barbaric wars) or is it a case of 20 / 20 hindsight?!!!

27 May 2010 01:51p.m.

clarke wrote:

He should be sent away for some time, maybe not 15 years but at least a length of time to reiterate to these pirates that they cant get away with murder. Which Bethune has done once before on one of his many adventures. Maybe then it might hit home a little more with the Sea Sheppard that sending one naive man to do your dirty work does not work. You went up against a bigger ship, a bigger power and lost. Your not Spartans and never will be. Nothing more than a nuisance on the water. If Bethune gets sent to jail His family should take the sea Sheppard to court over misleading its members (Pete) and ultimately endangering them. Sea Sheppard should be standing trial along side Pete. People say they are doing a great job out there in the arctic, what have they done besides Being a menace. They are eco terrorists and should be given the same attention as all the other so called terrorist out there causing havoc.

27 May 2010 01:37p.m.

cyril wrote:

All good fun when you are big noting it in front of the cameras. We will see how good his principals are when he is steering down the barrel of a 15 year prison sentance in a land that doesnt agree with him. I think he thought that most Japanease sympathyised with him but he was wrong. Just proves that the imfo the anti whaling lobby is putting out that most Japs are anti whaling is wrong just like most of there properganda.

27 May 2010 10:06a.m.

IIan wrote:

This man causes problems where ever he goes, dead fisherman, coastguard being called out in Raglan a few years ago when he went it there against advice. Morgaged his house numerous time causing major financial strife and stress for his family. He endangerd other peoples lives in the seas and with his whaleing stunt. The man has a personality disorder - people who cause chaos, have crisse's and are attention seeking fit this catagory. He has a 'cause' now -it will be something else later. Ignore him.

27 May 2010 09:36a.m.

AndrewF wrote:

Seriously, what was he expecting when he boarded the Japanese boat??? He's lucky he's not facing charges of piracy. Good cause but badly executed. Note to anti-whaling protestors : don't board their boats. What a stupid waste if he spends years behind bars.

27 May 2010 09:24a.m.

zena wrote:

Hope Bethune gets a suspended sentence and the japanese don't use this case as a lesson/warning to any other whale protectors. (i use the word protectors rather than protestors because thats exactly what they are) My simple protest against the japanese is to avoid buying anything made in that country. It should also be very clear to everyone that's interested, the japanese defence of killing whales for scientific reasons is about as lame as kiwis killing their sheep for scientific advances. THEY KILL WHALES TO SELL THE MEAT TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER. Unfortunately most people don't care unless it affects them personally- pity the japanese don't like cockroaches- we've got billions of them.