The appeal against the acquittal of Joji Obara on charges of murdering Lucie Blackman is dividing the parents of the slain Tokyo bar hostess.
While her mother, Jane Steare, supports the Tokyo High Court appeal trial by prosecutors that started Tuesday, her ex-husband and Lucie's father, Tim Blackman, does not believe there is "anything further to be gained" through this legal move.
This is not the first time Lucie Blackman's parents have clashed so publicly.
Last year, Steare criticized Blackman for accepting $900,000 (about ¥89 million) in condolence money from an associate of Obara. In response, Lucie Blackman's sister, Sophie, attacked her mother as "venomous" and "destructive" in a magazine article.