The disappearance in July 2000 of Lucie Blackman, a 21-year-old British bar hostess working in Tokyo, was one of the biggest stories to come out of Japan at the time. It was a case that grew more sensational and sinister with each passing week, involving a massive police operation working under intense scrutiny, some controversial interventions by Blackman’s family, and a tight-lipped suspect who seemed to be a manifestation of pure evil.