A US Marine has been sentenced to seven years in prison after he was convicted of strangling and sexually assaulting a woman in Okinawa, a Japanese district court told CNN.

Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton, 22, was accused of choking a woman in her 20s while attempting to rape her in May 2024, according to Kyodo News. He pleaded not guilty and denied having sexual intent or using physical force against her.

Clayton’s case is the latest in a string of criminal allegations against US personnel in Okinawa. The Okinawa islands, which hosts 32 US military facilities, including some of the largest US military bases overseas, have for years been the center of local protests against American presence.

Tuesday’s ruling was handed down after prosecutors described the crime to be so dangerous and malicious that it could have endangered the victim’s life, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Naha District Court Judge Kazuhiko Obata, who presided over the case, described the woman’s testimony as “highly credible” and containing “a level of specificity and authenticity that would not be possible without her actual experience,” NHK reported.