Man sent to death for killing 19 at care home

Satoshi Uematsu (left) sitting in a police vehicle. File photo/AFP

A Japanese man was sentenced to death on Monday for the stabbing 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 grisly rampage but his lawyers entered a plea of not guilty, arguing the 30-year-old was suffering a 'mental disorder.'

The court ruled that the former employee of the facility deserved no leniency over the 2016 attack, which sent shockwaves through the country.

"The lives of 19 people were taken away. This is profoundly grave," chief judge Kiyoshi Aonuma told the court. He has reportedly said he wanted to eradicate all disabled people in the horrifying attack that also left 26 people wounded. He turned himself into police after the assault, carrying bloodied knives.

It later emerged he had left his job at the home just months earlier and been forcibly hospitalised after telling colleagues he intended to kill disabled people at the centre.

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

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