Man douses himself with kerosene, Japanese police offer him a light

[motivez]

TOKYO (AFP) - A Japanese man who had doused himself with kerosene in front of police died of burns after asking to smoke during interrogation, police and reports said Monday.

Hifumi Kubota, 45, was taken for questioning to a police station in the central Japanese city of Nagoya on Saturday after a woman who was living with him told police that he was acting violently.

When officers came to his house, "he poured kerosene over himself in front of police," a police spokesman said.

Kubota refused to change his kerosene-soaked clothes at the police station and asked to smoke during questioning, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun and other Japanese media.

Despite no-smoking rules in the building, a police official gave him a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. When Kubota stood up, his right knee was ablaze and he quickly turned into a fireball, the reports said.

The police spokesman declined to give further details, but said Kubota was rushed to hospital where he died Sunday due to burns over a wide area of his body.

Kerosene-soaked man dies after lighting up in Japanese police station - Yahoo! News

Seriously, ?

I have been reading some similar stories lately of suicide.. I know suicide in the Japanese culture is perceived very differently than it is here, there's some dignity in it..

I can't believe this was a complete accident, you'd have to be pretty stupid not to realize that kerosene + fire = bad idea..

[DosEquis]

Kerosene is not likely to flame up by smoking a cigarette. Its usually one of those direct flame to get it going type of fuels. Like, you could probably put your cigarette out in it since it is not a flame and just the cherry burning.

Not that it is recommended to smoke around it but he must have lit himself up with the lighter. It was most certainly not an accident. Gasoline instead of kerosene, then yes it could be accidental. Stupid, but accidental.

[thewise1]

darwin award time

[kombayn]

Wow... That's pretty stupid of that Japanese man.