THE parents of murdered Briton Lucie Blackman said their daughter had been robbed of justice today after a Japanese businessman was cleared of killing her.

Property developer Joji Obara, 54, was sentenced to life in jail after being convicted of eight rapes and the rape and death of an Australian woman.

But Tokyo District Court acquitted him of all charges relating to Miss Blackman, 21, from Sevenoaks, Kent, who disappeared in July 2000.

She had been working as a hostess at the Casablanca bar in Tokyo, where Obara was a regular customer. He met Western girls there and lured them back to his apartment, where he drugged and raped them, often dressed in a Zorro mask.

After the hearing, Lucie's father Tim Blackman blamed Obara's acquittal on failures by prosecution lawyers and demanded an appeal in the case.

He said: "There is nothing that will change that Lucie is dead, but in many respects she has been robbed of her justice.

"We believe our family deserves to get proper justice for Lucie and prosecutors should strongly consider an appeal."

In court today, Mr Blackman and his 27-year-old daughter Sophie sat a few feet behind Obara and remained composed as the judge's verdict was translated by an interpreter.

Lucie's mother, Jane Steare, could not cope with coming face to face with Obara and decided to stay at home in Kent.

Following the verdict, she said: "I'm absolutely heartbroken. I just can't believe this verdict.

"My worst fears have come true.

"But I will never give up hope of finding justice and the truth."

The dismembered body of the former British Airways flight attendant was found in a cave in February 2001, after a seven-month search, just 100 yards from Obara's apartment.

The prosecution alleged Obara drugged and raped Miss Blackman, killed her and chopped up her body into 10 pieces and encased her head in concrete at his luxury apartment.