Japanese woman who murdered virtual husband in online computer game faces £3,000 fine and a jail sentence



A Japanese woman who murdered her virtual husband after the pair got divorced in an online computer game is facing a £3,000 fine and a possible prison sentence.

The 43-year-old piano teacher used his identification and password to log onto popular interactive game 'Maple Story' to carry out the virtual murder in mid-May, police revealed.

'I was suddenly divorced, without a word of warning. That made me so angry,' she told investigators after admitting the allegations.



The woman had not plotted any revenge in the real world, police in the northern city of Sapporo said.



Virtual world: Maple story is particularly popular in Japan

The woman, who has not been named, was charged with illegal access onto a computer and manipulating electronic data, police said.



If convicted, she could face a prison term of up to five years or a fine up to $5,000.



As in 'Second Life' in the U.S., players in 'Maple Story' raise and manipulate digital images called 'avatars' that represent themselves, while engaging in relationships, social activities and fighting against monsters and other obstacles.



The woman used login information she got from the 33-year-old office worker when their characters were happily married, and killed the character.



The man complained to police when he discovered that his beloved online avatar was dead.



Maple Story is an online multi-player game. Adventurers begin their story on Maple Island before travelling on a ship to Victoria Island where they choose one of four paths

The woman was arrested Wednesday and was taken across the country, traveling 620 miles from her home in southern Miyazaki to be detained in Sappporo, where the man lives, the official said.



The police official said he did not know if she was married in the real world.



In recent years, virtual lives have had consequences in the real world. In August, a woman was charged in Delaware with plotting the real-life abduction of a boyfriend she met through 'Second Life'.



In Tokyo, police arrested a 16-year-old boy on charges of swindling virtual currency worth £200,000 in an interactive role playing game by manipulating another player's portfolio using a stolen ID and password.



Virtual games are popular in Japan, and 'Second Life' has drawn a fair number of Japanese participants. They rank third by nationality among users, after Americans and Brazilians.