A former Aum Shinrikyo fugitive was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for driving a getaway car for one of the cultists convicted of releasing sarin in the March 1995 Tokyo subway nerve gas attack. Kiyotaka Tonozaki, 36, was also found guilty by the Tokyo District Court of harboring another Aum fugitive. Judge Takao Nakayama said the gassing clearly showed the cult's fanatic and antisocial nature, as well as the strong unity among its followers. Although the defendant did not actually release sarin and may have only been "used" by Aum founder Shoko Asahara, Tonozaki played an indispensable role, Nakayama said, supporting most of the prosecution's argument. "There is no other choice but to sentence him to life in prison," the judge said. Tonozaki's lawyers had argued that he was not aware of the deadly nature of the gas and was merely obeying orders from his boss. But the court pointed out that Asahara used to mention the poison gas during sermons to his followers, and thus Tonozaki must have known the agent was lethal. Thursday's ruling is in line with recent decisions delivered by the court -- the death penalty for cultists convicted of actually releasing the sarin and life imprisonment for their getaway drivers. Three former followers who took part in the gassing were convicted prior to Thursday's ruling, while judgments on five others are expected later in the year. Tonozaki pleaded guilty to the charges against him and apologized to the victims. According to the court, Asahara ordered 11 Aum members to release sarin on the Tokyo subway system to create chaos in the central government and to prevent police from cracking down on the cult. Under the direction of senior cultist Tomomitsu Niimi, Tonozaki drove cultist Masato Yokoyama to Shinjuku Station on the morning of March 20, 1995. In September, the Tokyo District Court sentenced Yokoyama to death for releasing sarin on a Marunouchi Line train, severely injuring four passengers. Yokoyama is appealing his case. Tonozaki also harbored senior Aum member Takeshi Matsumoto, who was wanted by Tokyo police in connection with the abduction of Kiyoshi Kariya in February 1995. According to cult members' confessions, Kariya died of an overdose of an anesthetic administered as a truth serum by Aum members while in captivity, and his body was cremated at an Aum complex.
