Now we know why the PSP is selling so well in Japan. It's all because the PSP can double as a gaming device and a cleverly disguised covert camera for train perverts. Just like what happened in this shameful story of a 59-year old Nagoya technical college deputy head, who allegedly took some upskirt shots of a 19-year old female.

The incident happened on the Nagoya Kintetsu train line. The local TV news constructed the images seen above which retell how the crime went down. As for the fate of the old dirty man, he's been arrested under Japan's anti-stalking laws. The PSP has probably been confiscated.

[Via Destructoid]

There's been several stories, even one recently, of people getting their PSPs robbed from them, but this one is, by far, the most disturbing. It appears the robbery began like many others with an unsuspecting youth who was attacked by two older teenagers trying to steal his PSP.

However, when James Felton-Maitland fought off his attackers and fled across the street still holding onto his PSP, he was struck and killed by a truck after sustaining severe head trauma. Now, Jamila Brown and Keith Goa, Jame's attackers, are being charged with second-degree felony murder and strong-arm robbery, according to the Miami Herald.

What's worse is Brown confessed while Goa continues to claim his innocence, despite overwhelming evidence linking him to the crime. The bottom line is that this is a senseless tragedy, but gamers also need to be on the lookout while using their PSPs in public, especially while walking down the street or in less populated areas.

[Via CVG]

Jose Ignacio Ortega Garcia, a recent victim of a horrifying kidnapping and torture, managed to survive his horrifying experience by using a PSP to distract his captors. According to a local news report, it appears the kidnappers were distracted by the PSP. "On June 21, Gonzales gave Sanchez a hand-held video game that would prove to be Garcia's savior," the report explains. Sanchez supposedly played "virtually all day that day and much of the night."

Garcia was able to loosen his bindings while his kidnappers were playing, and was able to run away, screaming for help. Although he received serious physical and mental injury, we're glad to report that he's alive.

We want to offer our sympathy to Mr. Garcia, and hope he makes a full recovery. We hope that any comments made on this story are respectful to Mr. Garcia and his family. Thank you.

[Via Joystiq]

As evidenced by the numerous YouTube videos of people playing "complete" versions of the upcoming Gangs of London, a leaked ISO of the game has been making the rounds on the internet. Stealing is wrong, and Sony spokesperson David Wilson wants you to remember that:

"We are wholly opposed to game piracy. Even if people have no sympathy for games developers losing money (though in the end that damages our industry and hurts gamers) - there are proven links that exist between counterfeiting and organised crime and that has some serious consequences (and victims) that people should give due consideration."

There you have it. Downloading an illegal copy of Gangs of London may, in fact, help criminals. But, if Senator Lieberman is right, playing games like Gangs of London will turn you into a criminal anyways.

[Thanks, steve; via GI.biz]

Hot on the heels of last year’s observed rise of iPod theft in the UK, it seems apparent that the next gadget of choice for mugging could be the PSP. A 12-year old boy was badly injured last Friday when two teenagers grabbed his PSP right as he was leaving school. The robbery happened in Downage, a borough of Barnet in London. The boy was hospitalized following the incident and was treated for a concussion, a hand injury, and various cuts and bruises. Local authorities called the violence used in the attack “unnecessary and gratuitous”.

Unfortunately, there aren’t that many hard and fast rules when it comes to taking your expensive portables out in public areas. Just try to keep in mind that what you’re lugging around isn’t cheap, and chances are if you lose your PSP your mommy and daddy aren’t going to buy you a new one. That is, unless you’re spoiled rotten, in which case you can also tack on that burgeoning feeling that you’re willingly setting yourself up for disappointment when you finally rejoin the real world.

[Via Hacking the PSP]