Japanese woman 'chiselled into flat of neighbour'

An unemployed woman used scissors to chisel a hole in the 10cm (4in) wall of her apartment, squeezed through and stole four computer games and a video belonging to her neighbour, said police in Saitama prefecture, near Tokyo, Japan.

Mika Hasegawa, 28, told police she had painstakingly chipped away at the plaster, producing a hole just big enough to creep through – a process requiring two weeks, said Masabumi Ehara, a police spokesman. "Her tool wasn't exactly designed for the purpose."

Hasegawa's neighbour, a cram-school instructor, 27, found the hole at the back of a closet for bedding while searching for the missing items. It had been covered with cardboard.

The suspect admitted to the burglary, saying she needed money and had hoped to sell the take, said Mr Ehara. The total value of the stolen goods was about 14,000 yen (about£80).

If convicted, Hasegawa could get off lightly as she has no previous criminal record and showed great remorse.