SHARING THE BLAME

Navy Seaman Marcus Gill told a Japanese courtroom that he did not force two Marines to join an attack on a 12-year-old Japanese schoolgirl. Gill, accused along with Roderico Harp and Kendrick Ledet of rape, said that Harp and Ledet were the ones who jumped out of their rented car and grabbed the girl. The two Marines insist that they participated in the assault only because they were afraid of Gill. The three face a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted. A verdict and sentence are expected January 19, but that could be delayed if the Okinawa court grants a change of venue. Lawyers for Harp and Gill today said that, because of the political nature of the trial, the defendents cannot receive a fair hearing in Okinawa and asked for the trial to be moved elsewhere in Japan.